Shifting
by Charlie Laurenz
Summary: One year after the events of Surfacing, Olivia Grant finds her life to be completely different. While she seems to have it all-a successful career, stable love life, and the comforts of home-something is very wrong. Very wrong, indeed. *Continued in Sustaining*
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Initially, I had planned to end Olivia's story with Surfacing. However, she stayed in my mind and I quickly discovered neither her nor Loki were quite finished. So here we are, a few days later, with a brand new story. As always, feel free to tell me what you think. Happy reading :-)**

The text cursor blinked steadily across the white surface of the page. I sighed and looked at the clock in the top right hand corner of my screen: 1:37 A.M. My eyes throbbed from the harsh light of the monitor. I ran fingers to my lids, massaging them as best I could. Technically speaking, I didn't have to do this. I had people who could type my reports for me. Still, I felt an obligation to the client if they had sought me out personally, not just my firm.

My risk the year before had paid off. Business for The Grant Group was booming. Within two months, my investment had tripled. I had more psychoanalysis work than I knew what to do with. I had to hire a full time staff. Two weeks later, we moved into a new building. One month later, more staff. Another building. On and on it went until, finally, we were then positioned at the current location. I had two hundred employees and owned half a building in downtown Seattle. We did evaluations for everything from criminals to cheating spouses. My company helped government agencies, desperate parents, suspicious spouses, the police. If you could think of a person or group, chances were, we had been hired by them.

Of course, the rapid success had its drawbacks. Since the visit to my sister's grave, I was able to sleep in peace. In the year that followed the outrageous success, however, I found myself not sleeping due to the workload I had on my shoulders. It had lessened somewhat when my staff had grown, but I often found myself unable to shut down my mind. And then there was the matter that I wasn't sure what I was.

I knew something happened to me when I touched the Saeculum. Something _must _have, but for the life of me, I was unable to recall what. Most days, I saw not only people's inner workings, but there were times I often thought I saw people in an entirely new way. For instance, one night Loki and I had visited the SAM. He seemed to enjoy telling me how incorrect the archaeologists were in regards to the lives of the "Midgardians" back then. That's what I was to him. That's what we all were. "Midgardians."

When we had approached an ancient Greek vase, the strangest thing happened. It was as if I were in ancient Greece itself. I was standing in a busy street, the smell of animals and incense mixing together. I heard people shouting, gold clinking, sheep bleeting, and various other sounds you would expect to hear at a market. Before me, sat a man. The wisp of hair on his head jutted in all directions. He was hunched, forming the very vase I had just seen.

In an instant, the experience was gone. Once more, I was standing in the museum, the quiet whispers of visitors echoing around me.

"Olivia, are you alright?"

The sound of my name jarred me from my thoughts. I turned my gaze to see a pensive Loki, his brows knit together in thought.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just kind of zoned out..." But I didn't tell him. I had never told him. For one thing, I felt like I had lost my sanity. For another, the idea that it had been real terrified me. Several occurrences similar had happened since then. I could have sworn I had been in Seattle during the time of the pioneers a month ago. It disturbed me greatly. And then there was the healing factor...

Since we were living together, I was actually able to put the cooking skills my mother had taught me to use. On my own, I was far too lazy to cook for myself. But I had come to rather enjoy making things for the two of us to eat. One morning in particular, I happened to be frying bacon. I meant to flip the strips over, I had done it countless times before. However, at that moment, the grease flew from the base of the pan onto my hand.

"Ouch!" I hissed, gripping my hand in pain.

"What happened?"

"Oh, I just got..." My voice trailed off as I looked to see a faint golden light emit from my hand. It shimmered and slowly grew stronger until, finally, the red burn faded to nothing. All at once, the golden light stopped. I stared in disbelief. My hand looked positively untouched. It was like the burn had never even happened.

"What?" He had come into the kitchen, inspecting me for damages.

"I just, er, stubbed my toe. Stupid stove..." I muttered, giving the object a swift kick for good measure.

"Try to be more careful with them, yes?" He pecked my forehead and returned to his book in the room opposite.

"I will." I raised my hand, just to do a final inspection. There was no light but there was no burn either. A fear crept into me at the base of my spine. One thing was definite, I was no longer just Olivia Grant. Something had happened. Something unexplainable. Deep inside, I knew the Saeculum was responsible.

Thunder from the storm outside tore me from my thoughts. The rain fell in heavy sheets, the wind causing the bushes outside to scratch at the window panes. The two pages I had written would have to suffice for the evening. If need be, I could always send it to my secretary, Avery, to work on. I yawned, shutting the computer down as quickly as possible. Creeping to the bedroom, I slipped off my clothes and pulled my pajamas over my body. The sleeping form in the bed caught my attention.

Initially, when we had arrived in Washington, the thunder from the frequent storms made Loki incredibly paranoid. It seemed that with every boom, he would look around in anxiety. I knew that this was due to fear of his brother, but it amazed me all the same. After six months, he had finally gotten used to it. He rolled onto his side, facing me, muttering wildly.

I knew, from what he told me, that Loki had seen some terrible things. Truly terrible. Letting himself fall into a void in space after an attempted decimation of Jötunheim had proved to be...unwise. He had ended up in all the dark, dingy back alleys of the universe. And though he never went into detail of what he experienced, I knew from his dreams that it was unspeakable.

Quietly as I could, I crawled into the bed, delicately lifting the covers. Sweat beaded on his brow and I frowned. I moved my hand to gingerly touch his face. The frantic sounds began to hush and I curled myself into him. Slowly, his breathing returned to normal, the murmurs and whimpers dying to silence. Tenderly, I kissed his forehead, hoping to assuage whatever nightmares were plaguing him that night. His arm wrapped around me and I began to drift into a dreamless sleep.

An emphatic banging awoke me. My brows knit together in confusion as I glanced, my vision fuzzy, at the alarm beside me. 3:47. Who would be knocking on my door at such an ungodly hour? It didn't matter. I was exhausted. Whoever it was would just have to come back later. Sighing, I closed my eyes and began to drift away once more.

Bang! Bang! Bang! I moaned, dragging my hand down my face. Loki stirred next to me, his face contorted in bafflement. "Did I hear someone knocking?" He muttered, his voice thick with sleep.

"I'm hoping if we ignore them, they'll go away."

We remained as we were for another minute when the sound began again. "Go away!" I shouted grumpily, pulling the covers over my head. I felt Loki rise from the bed, grabbing the spear that we both knew was disguised as a bat.

"I'm going to see who it is. And then I'm going to kill them." He muttered angrily.

"Don't get blood on the porch, we just re-stained it."

I pulled the covers from my head, flopping my arms to my sides. Why was it always me? All I wanted was a decent night's sleep for a change. Deep voices exchanged unintelligible words from the front room. Sighing, I kicked free from the bed and searched for a set of clothes. I found Loki's dress shirt from the night before strewn on the floor along with the jeans I had worn earlier. Quickly, I put them on before making a rather noisy exit from our bedroom.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I yawned, turning the corner down the hall and entering the living room. "Loki, who is-"

But the moment I opened my eyes I saw. Before me stood a dripping wet, very angry looking Thor.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, here we are. Another chapter. Thoughts and suggestions are always welcome. Happy reading **

My presence had gone unnoticed. At once, Thor grabbed Loki by the shoulders, glaring down at him with a fury I had never seen before. "Again, I ask you, was it you who did this?"

The familiar darkness returned to Loki, a sight I hadn't witnessed in over a year. "And what if it was? Would there be aught you could do to stop it?" He sneered.

It was the wrong thing to say. Instantly, Thor threw his brother to the ground and began to pummel him, over and over. Never would I have thought Thor capable of such violence. "STOP IT!" I shouted, throwing myself between the two of them.

Thor stopped mid punch, an expression of shock appearing on his angry features. "Olivia, what are you doing here?"

"This is my house! What is wrong with you? You can't come in and just start hitting people!" I turned my attention to Loki, his face red from the force of punches, a steady stream of blood flowing from his nose.

"Your house?" Thor repeated, flabbergasted.

"Technically speaking, yes. My name is on the deed." I spoke to Loki next. "I'm getting a towel from the kitchen and when I get back, I expect an answer to whatever the hell is going on." I rose, my bare feet padding across the wooden floor. I reached into the basket of hand towels beside the sink, turning at the sound of unfamiliar voices.

"Thor! What happened? Is everything alright?"

"We heard shouting."

A group of four other Asgardians stood in the entryway. A woman and three men, all dressed in the ridiculous apparel of their home planet. "Who are you?" I asked with annoyance. In a flash, the man with the appearance of a blonde pirate grabbed me from behind, his blade touching my throat.

"Touch one hair on her head, Fandral, and I shall end you." Loki growled, rising from the floor. Frankly, I didn't have time for this crap. I found his hand and bit down hard, my teeth sinking into his flesh.

"Yow!" He hollered while I skittered away. "She bit me!"

"Relax my friends. All is well." Thor soothed.

"No, it's not! You barge in at four in the morning, beat your brother into a pulp, and then proceed to have your friends attack me! In my own house! All is not well!" I shouted, blotting the blood from Loki's face.

"My sincerest apologies, Olivia. I did not know that Loki was with you."

Of course he didn't. I had no way of knowing what had been said upon his brother's release the year prior. "Whatever you think he did, he didn't." I stated firmly.

"Olivia, I'm fine. Stop." He took the towel from me and cast it to the floor, his every movement alight with rage. The darkness was beginning to rise to the surface and I cringed inwardly. The presence of his brother never failed to resurrect the hatred. I wished for a way to completely remove it. I wanted only the Loki I loved to exist. I feared, however, it would always remain; a stain remaining on white.

"I know that now." Thor stated quietly, clearly embarrassed.

"I deserve to know what's going on."

He sighed, his shoulders hunching in defeat. "Asgard was overrun."

I noted the satisfied smirk on Loki's face. Despite knowing he had no involvement, I was incredibly disturbed by his happiness about it. "Overrun? By whom?"

"An army of the dead." The woman stated, her tone cold. "They cannot be killed and they cannot be stopped. They flooded us from the inside. Thousands fell. Those who remained fell captive. We seek to find who let then in and destroy them."

Because that would help. "Let me see if I understand correctly. You are pursuing the culprit, as opposed to the solution?"

"Of course. He will pay for-"

Shaking my head, I looked at Loki pointedly. "No wonder you hate them all. You aren't exactly creatures of logic, are you?"

"You dare insult us?" The thick, red bearded male stepped forward, his friends holding his arms.

"You insult yourselves." I replied, crossing my arms. "You travel across the galaxy to find a person who wronged you, when you should be pursuing the solution. You are ruled by your emotions. Vengeance takes planning. It takes logic. Flying off the handle and into the blue without a plan is idiotic. You shove your emotions in a drawer and lock away the key. Take the time to sit and think through everything. Formulate a plan. Then proceed. And when you finally come to face with the person who wronged you, let your emotions seep, ever so slowly. Then you gain what you seek."

"Thor, you know this woman?" The woman asked with bewilderment, clearly viewing me with disdain.

"She's a friend. It was she who came along last year. Were it not for her, Rakthon would never have been defeated."

"What I want to know, is why she associates with Loki." The blonde said, stroking the place where I bit him.

"I am standing right here, you know."

"Brother, I was wondering how frequently you visit our friend? It seems strange to me, that you would be here so early."

"Even you can't be that thick." Loki replied darkly, glaring at them all.

"I do not-"

"We live together, Thor." I finished, sighing in exasperation.

"I see." There was a brief moment of silence, the air filled with a sense of awkwardness.

"Well, this has been fun, but if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you all left." I finally stated.

"I am truly sorry, brother. For accusing you of such treachery."

Loki's mouth twisted into a sneer. "Yet again, you hold the false belief that words can repair anything. I do not want or need your empty words."

"Empty? You think his words empty?" The woman began. I took note of how defensive of Thor she was. A theory began to form in my mind. "For reasons unknown, your brother still loves you! How anyone could love a monster like you is a mystery to me, though it does not make it so for all!"

"Sif, enough!" Thor bellowed, hurt at her calling of Loki a monster.

"Monster I may be, you should still fear me. I can-"

"Will you all just SHUT UP!" I cried, rubbing my temples. My teeth ground together, my nerves at their end. "You're all angry about what happened at home, Loki hates his family, Thor feels guilty for assuming Loki is a traitor, Sif is suffering from feelings of unrequited love for Thor, you-" I pointed to the blonde. "Sleep with anything remotely female, you're a glutton-" I pointed to the redhead. "And, well, I don't have anything about you." Gesturing to the last man, dressed head to toe in black. He seemed to be akin to ninja. "I am tired of my house being filled with mythological characters! EVERYONE OUT!"

A grin began to form on Loki's face. My anger had reached a breaking point, however. "And YOU!" I strode to where he was, slapping his face. "I can't even stand to be around you! I thought things would be different now, but you're still the same! Anytime Thor comes around, you turn into a person that I can't tolerate! As far as I'm concerned, you can leave with the rest of them!" I turned on my heel, my hair flying behind me. I slammed the door to the bedroom, sliding down the door, and collapsing to the floor. Tears streamed from eyes. My emotions filled every inch of my being, the sobs erupted from my throat.

Muffled voices sounded from the opposite side of the door. I was too exhausted to move, to speak, to try. The day had begun so well and now it had fallen to ruin. A faint knock resonated on the door. "Go away!" I cried, my voice shaky from weeping.

"Olivia, please."

"No!"

Silence remained for only a moment. A tone of controlled anger replied, "Open this door or I will open it for you."

"I'd like to see you try." I muttered, wiping an infuriated tear from my hot cheek. I should have known better. Truly, I should have. The next moment, I felt a great force push against my back. Instinctively, I stood to my feet, prepared to defend myself if necessary. The door flew wide open to reveal an incredibly vexed Loki. One quick motion and the door slammed behind him. I began to say something, but was interrupted by him grabbing me round the waist. "What are you-"

It was far too easy for me to forget that he wasn't human. That he was actually from a different planet. And it was in that moment that I remembered how very strong he actually was. He lifted me off the ground and tossed me down on the bed with force, his body looming over mine. "Are you prepared to listen, or shall I wait some more?"

I was too shocked to utter a peep. The fury glimmered hotly in his eyes and I began to draw myself inward. "Good." His manner seemed to soften when he realized that I was afraid. "I would never intentionally do you any harm. And I am sorry for having frightened you. As I am sorry for disappointing you." He drew himself back slightly, his forehead creased with thought. "Do not ever again, however, threaten me unless you intend to carry it out."

My head nodded in solemn agreement, too flummoxed for words. "If you could only understand how I feel..." He trailed off, turning away from me. Hesitantly, I reached for his hand.

"Anytime I see my brother, it's as if this...this...beast rises up. I cannot even begin-"

It was then that I felt a flood of empathy. I rose to my feet, wrapping my arms around him as I did so. "I understand more than you might think." I buried my head in the space between his neck and shoulder. "You forget I had a sister; a perfect sister who my parents loved more than life itself."

"How did you make it stop?"

"It sort of went away when she was murdered. Instead, I became flooded with guilt. It's why I became a psychologist. I told myself it was to help others but, in reality, it was my way of trying to atone for the hatred I felt. That, perhaps, if I helped enough people, I would redeem myself."

"I am terrified, Olivia." He whispered, voice cracking as he did so. "I am terrified of the hatred I feel; of the person I become."

"Then do something about it." I replied, kissing his shoulder. He turned then, anxiety etched into his features.

"How?"

I took a long, hard look at the fragile man before me. I could see every pain, every hurt, every fear. "Go. Go with them. Put aside your feelings and make peace with your brother while you can, before it's too late."

A forlorn tear ran down his cheek. "I don't think I can. I do not trust myself to be alone with him."

"Then I will go with you."


	3. Chapter 3

The news of our willingness to accompany the group was met with what I expected. General disdain and denial from the four and hesitant excitement from Thor. Eventually, however, it was decided that our coming was more of a benefit than a loss. After all, Loki had been to many places and he likely knew what it was they were dealing with better than anyone else. I, of course, was the obnoxious human tagalong that no one really wanted.

After our coming had been accepted, I forced everyone to sit down and carefully explain in as great a detail what exactly happened. It was as I bent over to study my notes that the shirt slipped from my left shoulder, exposing the divot in the small space between my shoulder and chest.

"She's injured! She cannot come with us after all!" Fandral exclaimed happily while I self-consciously pulled the fabric back to its proper position.

"It's just a scar. I'm fine." I muttered, my eyes downcast.

"We don't want the delicate human to break along the way. Perhaps, you should remain here with her." He gestured towards Loki.

"If Olivia says it is not a problem, I believe her. They are coming, my friends, and we could use their help."

Fandral stuck out his lower lip in a pout, giving the appearance of a toddler. There was only one person alive who knew where that scar had come from and I knew full well he would never tell a soul. My biological parents had left the marks of their addictions on me in numerous places. The burn from extinguishing a cigarette into my shoulder, tiny puncture scars on my arms from testing the sharpness of needles, a patch of skin on my right thigh that didn't match the rest of my skin from the fire. I was fortunate enough to survive without any mental defects. The only deformity I suffered from my mother's drug use was an incredibly poor set of teeth that had been remedied at the age of fourteen.

Having grown up with these marks didn't seem to make any difference in my feelings towards them. I was always self-conscious of them, frequently feeling as if I looked like a science experiment. Most days, I could live as if I weren't adopted, but the marks reminded me of my true parentage and the sight of them made me want to crawl into a hole.

"I'll, um, be right back." I muttered, quickly returning to the bedroom to search for a more fitting shirt. The feelings of being unwanted began to attempt to surface. I rummaged through our closet, casting shirt after shirt to the floor. Finally, I found a long-sleeved shirt that I ran over my head. Upon my return, Loki shot me a sympathetic glance. Our first night together, he had never so much as said a word. I had told him the story in a rush, trying to hide as best I could. He didn't seem to view me any differently and I realized, were it not for whatever Odin had done, he would likely look very different too. Small comfort could be found there.

"We still do not know what they were or who brought them." Sif stated with annoyance.

"Sitting around talking about it will not solve anything! We must act!" I decided upon first glance that I didn't like Fandral. My sentiments hadn't changed.

"Loki, did you encounter such creatures-"

"When I fell through the universe? No, I did not. I heard of stories, however."

"Stories?"

Loki began to speak and I found my mind wandering. Perhaps I was wrong to come. What use was I to them, anyway? I wasn't a warrior. I couldn't fight like them. While it was true that I only volunteered for Loki's sake, I wasn't entirely convinced he needed me. If he truly wanted to mend his relationship with Thor, it would take him overriding the anger and resentment that had accumulated. there was nothing I could do about that.

"It sounds like we have our plan, then." Thor stated firmly, drawing my attention back to the present.

"Let us move, then." The five Asgardians exited the house, leaving Loki and I alone.

"Well, I hope you and Thor can work everything out." I stated at last, turning towards my office.

"You act as if you are not coming."

"You don't really need me." I muttered, examining the ends of a stand of my hair.

"You promised me you would come."

"I know, but I'm just not sure that I-"

"If this has anything to with what that idiot said-"

"It's not that." I mumbled, bringing my hair around one shoulder. "I just think I'll get in the way. I don't know anything about Asgard or how to fight like any of the rest of you. I mean, remember last time?"

A smile toyed at the corners of his lips. "I was rather fond of last time."

"Well, I wasn't. I'm not exactly built for space. I would have died during that stupid blizzard if you hadn't found me. I'm just not sure my coming is such a good idea."

"If you stay, I will stay too."

"No. No, you wanted to-"

"I will not leave you here, defenseless."

My mouth fell open into a small 'o' of surprise. "I am not defenseless! I have my dad's gun and I have Sawyer and..."

"Whoever has done this to Asgard will not hesitate to come here next." He looked at me intently. "You know as well as I how people think. If you were the one responsible, what would stop you from taking Earth when you have already conquered Asgard? What is a planet of humans to a planet of gods?"

I had already arrived at the same conclusion when the others had discussed what happened. "I was sort of hoping you would all stop whoever it is before that happened."

"You are not any less important because of what happened to you. I think you the smartest person I know."

I scowled. "That's easy for you to say. You're not deformed."

"Perhaps not, but this is not my true form. I find your situation somewhat similar to my own."

I smirked. "You're really a unicorn aren't you?"

He laughed. "No, however I don't think you would as...interested in me should you know my true appearance."

"I know the real you, though."

"Come, Olivia. I promise you that I will let no harm come to you." He raised my hand to his lips, kissing my fingers.

I chewed my lip, considering his words. "I suppose you do need people of intelligence on this sort of thing." A grin spread across his features. "However, if I have to eat another space goat, I will murder someone."

"No space goat, then."

"Good."

"Brother, we need to leave!" Thor shouted from outside. I sighed and grabbed my boots from the floor by the door. This time, I would be prepared. I sent a quick e-mail to my secretary explaining an emergency had come up and I would be gone until further notice. I zipped my coat and took Loki's outstretched hand, the door closing behind me with finality.


	4. Chapter 4

I stared at the unfamiliar landscape, my mind racing. Massive pines soared hundreds of feet skyward. Craggy cliffs lined the stormy shore. The sky was a deep gray, the wind whistling through the trees. Sea spray battered against the rocks and tickled my face. The chill in the air was thick and I was thankful I thought to bring my coat. Once again, I seemed to be the only one awed by our surroundings.

Maybe it was simply because I hadn't travelled a great deal in my life. The first sixteen years of my life were spent in Wichita Falls, Texas. The six years of college were spent in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Three were spent in Washington D.C. and the previous was in Seattle. This resembled Seattle the most, though wherever we were was far grander.

Sighing reluctantly, I joined the others, wishing for once I could simply take in the scenery around me. This time around, I couldn't shake the feeling of not belonging. Previously, I had been forced to go against my will, though things had worked out in my favor. I had grown to be quite comfortable around my traveling companions, even going so far as to fall in love with one of them.

This trip, however, was entirely the opposite. I could sense the great distrust Thor's friends had of me. They certainly didn't trust Loki, not that I could blame them given his track record. As I was on 'friendly' terms with him, I had to be an enemy as well. I kicked a rock in the dirt, watching it fly forward, venting my frustration. Inadequate did not even begin to cover how I felt.

It didn't take particularly long for me to find myself longing for my sister. The sentiment had been a recurring one ever since having visited her grave. I wished for a way to undo time, to change all that had transpired. What I would give to have my sister back. They all would have loved Claire. She was one of those fortunate people capable of making everyone fall in love with her. I was not so lucky. I rubbed people the wrong way and I knew the reason why. You got to burrowing into people's inner thoughts and emotions and they are bound to bite back.

Sif was speaking to Thor, the three warriors talking amongst themselves. I chewed my lip in thought, wondering how quickly we could get the entire thing over with. "You're unusually quiet."

Loki had long since changed back into his armor. I failed to understand why such a seemingly advanced race still dressed as if they were in the middle ages. Then again, I didn't know their culture. I didn't need to be a genius to realize that I knew little to nothing about their home world. What I did know was that family and relationships were similar, no matter where in the universe you were.

"Just thinking." I murmured, tucking my hands into my pockets.

He said nothing in response, the two of us walking side by side in silence. I heard the crunch of rock beneath my feet and questioned what I had gotten myself into. My mind circled back to my sister, memories flooding my consciousness. I wondered how often Thor and Loki thought of one another. Before the collapse of their relationship. Before the hatred; the envy; the pain. What would they be willing to give in exchange for a healed relationship? To be true brothers once more?

"What exactly are we looking for?" Someone asked impatiently in the distance.

"The entrance to Niflheim. Haven't you been paying attention?"

"And what, exactly, is that supposed to look like? It's not as if we have ever traveled to the realm of the dead..."

I froze in my tracks. The realm of the dead? That's what we were looking for? A sickening knot contracted in my stomach at the thought of where we were going. "Hel isn't my daughter. In case you were wondering." Loki stated amusedly, watching my every move.

"Who?"

"The humans think I have a daughter named Hel who rules the underworld. While it is true that Hel exists, I have no relation to her." He was searching for a reaction. I couldn't find one to give.

"Okay...Glad to know you don't have a daughter. I guess."

"Olivia, are you feeling alright? You've hardly spoken at all."

"I didn't know we were looking for dead people!" I whispered, ducking into my coat.

"Where else would the army have come from?"

"I don't know! I figured if Asgardians, frost giants, and insect people actually existed that zombies could too! Tasty, tasty brains!"

Laughter erupted from his throat and I saw the five in front of us turn in surprise. I realized that I was likely the only one who had heard the sound on a regular basis. "I suppose you have a point."

"So, I'm guessing that a lot of the myths aren't correct then?"

His lips twisted into a delighted smirk. "That depends. The human stories would have you to believe that I was rather fond of-"

"Sex? I could have told them that." His smirk evolved to a wicked grin. I rolled my eyes, a smile tugging on my own lips. "So, what about that eight legged horse thing? Or the acid-dripping snake?" His brows raised and I remembered the other part of the story. "Oh my god, are you married?!"

He released a low chuckle. "Not that I'm aware of. I would certainly never marry Sigyn." His face scrunched in revulsion at the name. "I wasn't aware you knew so much of my, how shall I put it, backstory?"

"Eh, there's this girl that works for me who has a bit of an obsession with you. Thankfully, it never got out that you and I live together. She probably would have showed up in the middle of the night and murdered me."

"And you hired this girl?"

"She makes really good coffee." A moment of silence passed before I continued. "I'm scared. I don't think I want to find this entrance. I would much rather stay in the land of the living."

"You seemed to be willing to leave last year."

He hadn't seemed to have forgiven me for what I had done. Now and again he reminded me of how close I had come to death. I had always ignored it, however, because there was not one thing about it I regretted. If necessary, I would gladly do it again. "I didn't have anything to lose last year."

"And now?"

I stared at him intently, taking in the face I had come to love so much. "I have everything to lose."

My answer seemed to satisfy him. We trekked the rest of the day in silence. Night approached quickly, seemingly from nowhere. Wolves' howls echoed in the darkness and my hair stood on end. I could scarcely see my hand before my face. My feet stumbled in the near pitch black. Every sound seemed to be amplified double. I could hear my own breath, loud and broken. Cold seeped through my coat and into my bones. A rustling to my right side made me stop mid-step.

"Olivia, you need to keep moving." Loki whispered from somewhere behind me.

"I can't." I breathed, fear creeping into my heart.

"I need you to trust me. Move now." His hand slid to my elbow and I did my best to swallow my fear. Ever so carefully, I continued forward, my hands groping in the darkness. A growl resounded from the right and I fought to keep myself in check. One step at a time, I continued on, hoping that whatever it was would ignore me. I heard the same eerie growl repeated from all sides, near and in the distance. Whatever they were, they were tracking us, all seven of us.

All at once, a howl erupted from ahead of us. "Run!" Loki whispered urgently and I immediately followed orders. I was blind from the dark. The sounds of paws against earth echoed around me from every direction, animal breathing in my ears. On I ran, desperately hoping I wouldn't fall off a cliff or into a ditch. My foot caught on something in the dark and I nearly fell forward, Loki catching me around my waist. "Keep moving!"

It seemed that it would never end. I was not a runner by any means and the initial adrenaline that had coursed through me was beginning to fail. My breath came in ragged bursts, every muscle aching from effort. I could hear no signs of the others before me, not that it mattered. It was at that moment that Loki grabbed my arm and pulled me to the right, my body falling over from the sudden shift in position. I heard the creatures run past, holding my breath in fear.

His hands wrapped around mine and pulled me upward. I shook unsteadily on my feet and finally allowed myself to breathe. "What-just-happened?" I wheezed.

"Direwolves." His breathing only sounded slightly better than mine.

"Direwolves? Aren't those extinct?"

"Not here." He took my hand into his and began to lead me forward, though where that was, I had no idea.

"I'm guessing your special alien eyes let you see in this?"

"And your pathetic human eyes can't."

Normally, I would have made some kind of immature face. At that moment, however, I was exhausted and terrified. The darkness closed around me and I found it difficult to keep my mind reasonable. Every noise made me flinch and I clung to his hand as if my life depended on it. Which, I suppose, it did.

"What do you think happened to the others?"

He snorted in disgust. "Knowing them, they're likely rather enjoying themselves. We all hunted direwolves, long ago. I imagine, it brings back fond memories for them."

"They will be fine?"

"More than fine, I suspect." He stopped and I turned my head to look behind me instinctively. Not that I could see a single thing. "Wait here."

I felt his fingers leave mine and I began to nervously chew my lip. Primal instinct screamed for me to get out. To escape the darkness. To find light and stay there. There was something terrible about being alone in the dark. A burst of flames flared, a dim light casting menacing shadows on the walls of the earth around me. Roots dangled from the ceiling, my eyes catching a multi-legged insect crawling up the earthen wall beside me.

"Olivia," I shuddered and made my way to the source of light, one of Loki's strange fires burning from the center of a small cavern. It looked much like the narrow tunnel I had just stood in, only larger. The sight of him caused overwhelming urge to flood me. I ran to him, burying my head in his chest upon impact. Silent sobs wracked my body and I clung to him for dear life. He never spoke a word, not one word. His arms held me tightly and I sobbed until I could sob no more.

"This sucks." I stated finally, pushing myself away. "How long is this going to take?"

He eyed me warily, as if I might suddenly fall to pieces. "We must find the Gates of Death, then travel through the real of Niflheim until we reach Hel. Once there, we will have to convince her to give us her ring."

"Her ring?"

"Hel has power of all nine realms. It is her responsibility to care for all the dead who did not die as heroes, as well as for the sickly and diseased. The ring has the ability to return the army to Niflheim."

"Couldn't she have already given the ring to whoever did this? If it can summon the dead to return, couldn't it also summon them anywhere else?"

Loki shook his head with certainty. "She cannot leave her realm. Though Hel has great power, she can only bring others to her. She is powerless outside of it."

"You're saying she couldn't just send a troupe of her favorites to go conquer the universe?"

"No, that would require Odin's intervention."

"I'm guessing he wouldn't destroy his own realm."

"More than likely not."

My jaw locked as I considered what he said. "I'm not entirely certain she's not involved. I imagine she feels similar to Hades in regards to her position."

"Hades? Who is Hades?"

"Greek god of the underworld. I was always considerably more interested in the Greek myths." I shot him an apologetic look but he simply shrugged. "His brother Zeus was the high king of Olympus. Zeus dispersed powers to his other two brothers. To Poseidon he gave dominion of the ocean. And to Hades, he bestowed the underworld. Hades felt rather slighted. After all, who would want the dead for company all the time."

His expression conveyed that he was considering my words. "Perhaps."

"I just think we should go in there prepared for the worst."

"I do believe, Olivia, that we would all be at far greater risk without you." I allowed him to kiss me then, though my mind still whirred with activity. Perhaps, it was good I had come after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yeah, so I have my first history of architecture (over six periods) exam tomorrow and I expect I'm going to be really tired when I get home. So, I'm giving you an extra chapter today. See you all Friday and happy reading!**

I awoke to find myself alone on the dirt floor, my coat spread over me. I rose to sitting, my mind still foggy from sleep. The fire burned before me, though any other signs of life were non-existent. Running a hand through my tangled mess of curls, I searched for Loki to no avail. I sighed and dressed as quickly as I could, making sure I wouldn't be getting any surprise bug bites.

"Loki?" I queried, glancing around the dirt wall to the narrow passageway we had entered last night. My question was answered with silence. Huffing with irritation, I ran my fingers through the knotted hair and wrapped the band on my wrist around it. I wasn't in the mood for meddling with something as insignificant as my hair. "Guess I'm on my own then." I muttered to myself, aggravated he hadn't bothered to at least leave me a note in the dirt or something.

With trepidation, I began the long, arduous walk from the hole in the ground. The passageway was not nearly as dark, a faint well of sunlight shining from the end. I emerged from the tunnel, huffing ever so slightly. Again, I looked around, finding myself alone once more. "Seriously?" I whispered skyward, more than a little miffed he was no where to be seen.

It was then that I decided to take stock of my surroundings. I was in the middle of a dense pine forest, the hill behind me led to where I had spent the night. I could hear the sea roaring like white noise in the distance. A bird flew overhead, its call echoing in the chilly air. If it weren't for the fact that the Gates of Death were somewhere on the planet, I would entertain moving there.

I could ascertain that Thor and the others were likely somewhere to my right, though as to where there exact location was, I hadn't the slightest. I was in the middle of debating whether to continue forward or remain behind when a voice interrupted my thoughts.

"I was wondering when you'd wake."

Loki strode from behind to meet me, grinning wildly. I was not nearly as amused. "Next time you decide to take off and leave me to my own defenses, leave a note." I ground, tromping off from the incline and into the woods.

"You're not usually this temperamental after..." He trailed off, attempting to nuzzle my neck. I was _not _in the mood.

"You don't normally leave me in a HOLE IN THE GROUND, WITH GOD KNOWS WHAT ELSE, ON MY OWN!" I exclaimed, sending a flock of crows into a cacophony. His brows raised in surprise at my ferocity as I wheeled around on my heel.

"I stepped out for a minute..." He began quietly, clearly tiptoeing around my anger. "I had every intention of returning."

I replied with an unconvinced 'humph!'

"Are you going to be like this all morning?"

"Maybe. I haven't decided yet."

He sighed in exasperation. "You're going the wrong way."

"Oh! Now you're interested!" I turned around, my arms crossed, waiting for him to tell me where we should be headed.

"I fail to see why you're so upset."

"So I noticed." I hissed, tapping my foot with impatience. "Well? Where are we going?" His jaw locked as he gestured in the proper direction. "Thank you."

We hiked in silence, my anger slowly receding. I was not unaware, however, of his own increasing. "Now you're the one who's mad."

"I don't understand why you were so childish-"

I stopped in my tracks. "Childish? Really?"

"I did nothing wrong and you-"

I sighed wearily. "I recognize that I may have...blown things out of proportion. And I am sorry for that. But you have to remember that I'm not like you or any of the others. This is an unfamiliar planet with unfamiliar creatures. I am at a loss for how to defend myself here. If it were earth, I wouldn't be nearly as concerned. As it is, I am all too aware of how helpless I am here. I woke up and you weren't there. I didn't know what to expect and I just felt..." I frowned, searching for the right word.

"Abandoned?" The look on his face was pitiful. I saw regret and guilt make their way onto his features. That wasn't what I was hoping for.

"Yes." I grabbed his hand, making a point to meet eyes. "I don't want you to feel badly. I just wanted you to understand why I was so upset. I'm not mad anymore, really."

He nodded once in reply. It was as good of a response as I was going to get. "So, how much further?"

"I'm not entirely certain."

"Okay, so I guess we'll just keep heading towards impending doom then. Good to know." We walked for what seemed like hours before we finally met up with the others.

"And we were beginning to think the direwolves had gotten you." Fandral chirped.

I plastered a smile on my face. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"We believe we have found the location of the gates." Sif stated warily.

"Which would be...?"

"Northeast. Seven miles."

I swallowed hard. "Lovely."

On we marched, the forest giving way to open fields of pale green grass. All too soon, however, the grass faded to a white and gray rock, jagged and hard. The green hills changed to the same rocks upon the ground. Immediately before us, stood two white menhirs, a dark, narrow canyon behind them. Instinctively, I gulped.

"The Gates of the Dead." Hogun stated.

"Come my friends, let us meet with Hel. For Asgard." Thor enthused. While a repetition of "For Asgard" sounded from the four, Loki and I remained silent. The rest moved without me. I was too terrified to move an inch. Instead, the menhirs loomed above me, leaving me to feel too minuscule for words. I certainly never considered myself a coward, but purposely walking into such a silent place went against every survival instinct.

"Olivia," Loki stood ahead of me, waiting for me to come. When I didn't, he tenderly took my hand, gently pulling me forward. "Come on. We're nearly finished."

"No, we're not." I whispered, gripping his fingers tightly. As we approached the entrance to the passage, I found myself drawing back behind him, my fingers wrapping around his bicep. A foreboding silence welcomed us and my eyes flitted about wildly. As we delved deeper into the canyon, I repeatedly glanced behind us, anxious that someone or something was following us.

A few rocks tumbled from the towering walls around us. Instinctively, I shrank back. Upon closer inspection, the rocks seemed to take on the appearance of faces, all in agony. A shiver ran down my spine and I made it a point to only look straight ahead. At long last, an imposing set of gigantic, iron doors appeared before us. Again, I noted faces etched into the metal, much to my discomfort. There were no handles and no guards, yet they opened before us, as if greeting our deaths.

The interior was pitch black and as the doors swung shut behind us, the final slam echoing in my ears, I felt panic slowly begin to rise in my chest. A biting cold wind filled the air, whistling in the cavernous space. A blue flame flared to life instantly, casting long shadows on the walls. Each wall depicted a scene: some were of funeral processions, others of the dead streaming into the halls.

My fear must have been palpable, because Loki moved to wrap his arm around me. I heard my breath come in shudders and I tried to push down the horror that had crept into my veins. At that moment, an eerie melody resounded from somewhere beneath us, a glistening blue light whizzing into view. It settled on the descending stairs before us, its shape gradually changing. As the form became more clear, I felt my fear dissipate, shock taking its place. Standing in front of me, a faint translucent blue, was Claire.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I apologize for the wait, all. But the good news is that I'm fairly confident I passed with flying colors, so it was time well spent! As promised, here's chapter six. Happy reading :-)**

My sister looked exactly the same as the last time I had seen her alive. The translucent blue began to become more solid and I understood she was becoming somewhat temporal. Words could not begin to express how I felt at seeing her again.

"What is it you seek, spirit?" Thor inquired, preparing for the worst. I could sense that the general disposition had turned anxious. I was no longer of the same feeling. I had entered into the realm of the dead terrified, only to find my sister waiting on the other side of the doors.

"The living that come seeking Hel are required to have a guide-"

I couldn't take it. Trepidatiously, I crept away from Loki, approaching my sister with emotions that I hadn't felt in years. "C-Claire?" My voice cracked.

She stood looking like only she could, her turquoise sundress paired with her beloved cowgirl boots. I had forgotten how very tiny she was; it had been over a decade, after all. Her face lit up at the sight of me, her brown eyes crinkling. "Olivia!"

All the fear rushed out of me as I bent to hug her, my sister standing on the tips of her toes. The tears ran down my face as I took in her scent, ever the same as it was: roses and hay. She had worked at a local stable and the smell had frequently mixed with her perfume. I had missed that scent.

"I thought I'd never see you again." I whispered, savoring her scent, gripping her shoulders tightly.

"I came as soon as I saw." She pulled away, touching her fingers to my face. "You were so scared and I just had to. I had to beat off Granmárr. He's typically the one who comes."

I chuckled at the thought of my peace-loving sister fighting anyone. "I take it the two of you are acquainted?" Thor relaxed his grip on his hammer.

"Yes. Er, this is my sister, Claire."

I watched sorrow spread across his face. "The one who-"

"Yeah." I examined my feet, not wanting to think of how she had gotten here. "So, sister guide, you're falling down on the job."

She laughed then, the sound chiming around the somber hall. It was so very good to see her again, to hear her laugh once more. "You would say that, wouldn't you?" Her lips pecked my cheek briefly before turning around. "Right, y'all. Stay close and don't wander off."

"I forgot you said y'all." I chirped, slowing my stride to stay beside her as we walked.

"You always insisted it wasn't 'proper grammar'."

"It isn't. But I missed it all the same."

Claire smiled and I treasured the sight. "So, have I told you that you're gorgeous?"

"Pfft!" If there was thing that I was not, it was gorgeous. I was too tall, too pale, and too skinny. My hair was red, curly, and rarely ever stayed in place. It also didn't help that I had glassy-green eyes that had a tendency to unnerve people, either from the color or intensity, I wasn't sure.

"I'm serious! Who would have thought my gangly, little sister would grow up to be such a hottie?"

"Hottie? Oh, Claire, no one's used that word in ten years."

"Well, I have been here for about that long. How would I know?" I frowned as she said it. Since her arrival, I had nearly forgotten she was dead.

"Claire, I'm sorry. For everything-"

"Oh, hush! You don't have anything-"

"I was a bitch."

"You were not!"

I quirked my brow and looked at her pointedly. She sighed before acquiescing. "Maybe a little bit. But I never blamed you for any of it. Not one little bit."

We had reached the end of the stairs and I saw what lay before us: narrow passageways through frozen, mountainous peaks. An ugly, black river flowed beneath us several thousand feet. Snow flurries blew in every direction, an unknown growling catching on the wind. The sun was covered by thick, gray clouds and I fought the urge to shiver. The only thing keeping me from having a nervous breakdown was the presence of my sister.

"We have to go through that?"

"See why you need me?"

"Claire?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome. Come on, don't want to keep Hel waiting." I followed after her, the eight of us traveling single file down a narrow ledge.

We had walked a small distance before Claire spoke again. "I always knew things were hard for you, that you were trying to find your place in the family. I tried to talk to Mom about it-that you felt unwanted."

That was news to me. I had never an inkling that they had spoken of me. My sister sighed, a solemn tone to it. "Her response wasn't what I was hoping for."

"Why am I not surprised..." I muttered bitterly, reflecting on how my mother had made it a point to remind me that I was not her 'real' daughter whenever I angered her.

Claire shot me a sympathetic look. "I tried to love you as much as I could, tried to cover the areas Mom and Dad left out. But it wasn't enough. You needed their approval and I couldn't help." How rueful she sounded. I thought of the irony: I had been the one responsible for her death and yet she blamed herself for my anger. It was very Claire.

"I know you did. I didn't understand that until you were gone," My voice cracked as I spoke. "But I know that you did. And I loved you too, even if I was too miserable to admit it."

A wisp of a smile appeared on her lips. "I appreciated your coming, last year."

So, she had been at the cemetery after all. It was comforting, somehow, to know that I hadn't imagined it. "I'm glad I did." At that moment, the rocks burst from the side of the mountain directly in front of us. I looked to my sister for an explanation only to find concern on her features.

"Olivia?"

"Yeah?"

"We need to run." A piercing cry echoed from the chasm, bouncing around the walls of rock around us.

She grabbed my hand and began to race ahead. The others had seemed to catch on and were prepared for a fight. On we ran, until we finally reached a broadening in the ledge. From the corner of my eye, I saw a bright blue form burst from the hole in the mountain.

"Claire, would you mind telling me what's going on?"

"We slow down, we die."

"But you're already dead!"

"I was just saying that to be nice, sweetie. We slow down, y'all die."

Great. We were mid step when the blue I had seen a moment earlier exploded in front of us, blocking the path. It was a massive bird, its eyes black as night. The body, wings, and head were covered in blue feathers-the tips of which ended in razor points. Its beak was cruel and curved, made for piercing and splitting. I glanced down to see gruesome looking talons.

"We're not looking for trouble." Claire declared, her fingers gripping mine. "I'm taking them to see Hel, there's no reason to be doing this."

I desperately wanted to ask her what was happening. Exactly what was going on. But I knew that speaking a word would likely negate whatever negotiation she was attempting, opting to remain silent instead. The bird cocked its head, examining each one of us closely. Just when I thought we were going to get of the situation unscathed, the bird caught eye of the Asgardians' weapons. It cawed fiercely, flapping its great wings.

"Don't do this! It's not what you think!" But her pleading was useless. The bird chose to dive-bomb the ledge we were standing on. The rock began to crack beneath us and I felt my heart race wildly. The entire mountain seemed to shake, the cracking sound growing louder and louder in my ears.

"Keep moving!" Claire shouted. I followed suit, trying to escape the crumbling mountainside. The bird cried again, battering the ledge once more.

"What is happening?" I asked with panic.

"I'll explain later!" She replied frantically, tugging on my arm again. "We need to move!"

"Explain now!"

The bird sent a rock hurtling towards us, the two of us ducking in unison. "Asgardians have come here before."

"And?"

"Every few centuries, someone from somewhere decides they want to overthrow Hel."

"What? Why?" Claire and I jumped across a breakage in the ledge, my foot slipping slightly upon impact. She grabbed my wrist before I tumbled backward, pulling me right side up again. After that momentary pause, we returned to our frenzied pace.

"Hel has a lot of power; she can enter any of the nine realms at anytime."

"I thought someone had to die?"

"Everyone knows that everybody dies. All the time."

Right. I had forgotten about that. "So this bird is her protector, or something?"

"Basically."

"Great. And how do you propose we get away from it?"

"Up ahead, there's a small crevice in the rock. It's risky but I think if we hurry we can all fit through."

And so we went. Each one of us sidling in deeply between the mountain. Loki managed to make it through right as the bird discovered us. I could hear its angry caws, snapping its beak in the small opening. "Now what?" I asked breathlessly, my heart hammering in my chest.

"Now, we travel through the Dead Man's Throat."

I raised my brows in alarm. "The what?"

"It's not the ideal way to go. Given another option, I wouldn't take it."

"Great. It's the equivalent of the Mines of Moria. Lovely."

"You're still such a geek." She mused, smiling faintly.

"Yeah, well, it suits me. Lead on, then." We continued forward until we reached a broad stairwell amongst an expansed cavern. There was little light, the steps descending forebodingly.

"Olivia, sweetie," Claire began softly, speaking loud enough for only me to hear.

"Hmm?"

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you again. But you should know something now." She glanced around nervously and I had a feeling I was about to receive classified information. "Not everything in Helheim is as it seems. Pay attention. Watch _her _closely."

I knew the 'her' to whom she referred was Hel herself. "I'll keep that in mind."

She grasped my wrist, her gaze drifting to Loki. I saw a minute twitch in her eye, a flash of concern. "I'm serious, Olivia. Watch like a hawk. Everything is going to change." Her brows furrowed together and she shook her head quickly. "Technically, they already have. Just be careful and don't make any rash decisions."

Her anxiety concerned me. I had no idea to what she was referring, though I suspected it somehow involved Loki. Clearly, however, I had been correct to not trust Hel. "Okay, Claire. I'll do that. Can I just ask you something?"

Claire's features conveyed a mixture of anxiety and doubt; concern for me and wanting to help as much as possible, yet unsure if she was allowed. "Of course." She finally stated, her brown eyes searching my face for the unspoken query.

"When you were speaking, you looked at someone." I flicked my eyes in Loki's direction, noting his sudden interest in our conversation. She pursed her lips in confirmation. "Are you saying I can't trust the said person?"

She eyed him carefully, assessing his every move. "I'm not saying that. But what's waiting for you involves that person as much as it involves you and the other." Claire motioned towards Thor next. "But the one in particular is important. As I said, there is more in Helheim than meets the eye. Whatever you think you see...well, there's more to it than that."

With that, she gave me an intense look, meaning to drive home her point. I glanced at Loki and Thor, wondering what could possibly be waiting for us ahead.


	7. Chapter 7

Claire suggested that we remain at the entrance of the Dead Man's Throat for the night. According to her, the journey through it was both arduous and fraught with danger, and I was inclined to believe her. My sister had never been one for lying or exaggerating and I trusted that if she said something was difficult, so it would be.

I remained with her as the others settled in for the evening. The relationship between the five companions was full of camaraderie and laughter. I felt a pulling within to sit by Loki, his expression a mixture of hatred and loneliness. I realized I had essentially ignored him the entire day, but I wanted to savor the time with my sister.

"You really love him, don't you?" Claire inquired, breaking my chain of thought.

My eyes diverted to her, a hint of disapproval in her eyes. I sighed, knowing full well that she wasn't exactly keen on the idea. "Yes, I do." I finally replied, assessing her reaction. The disapproval remained, though she shot me a sympathetic look.

"Let's just hope he feels the same way about you."

Her comment disturbed me. "I don't understand why you're so worried."

"I always wanted you to be happy. And if he does, make you happy, then I can accept your decision. But his pain and animosity make him particularly easy to manipulate." Claire glanced around nervously once more. "Remember what I told you earlier. Nothing is as it seems. And _she _always has a backup plan. And a backup plan for the backup plan. You were always good at chess; if you think of what you're going to face as a chess game, you'll be fine. I just hope that whatever feelings he has for you are strong enough to keep him from any tactics that might be used."

What she spoke was true. I had even manipulated his feelings to get him to crumble the year before. Despite the facade, Loki was rather easy to maneuver. All you needed were the right words and he would do the hard work for you. Then it was game, set, match; simply sit back and enjoy the show.

"You look tired." She stated finally, giving me a pitiful glance.

"It's been a long day."

"You should get some sleep."

"I don't want to leave you, though." Claire smiled faintly, a flicker of sorrow in her eyes. She gestured her head in Loki's direction.

"Enjoy it while you can, Olivia. I'm not sure how it's all going to turn out. I hope I'm wrong about him, I really do." Her hand braced my shoulder in support. "But you've spent most of the day with me and I think he'd appreciate your company. It's not like I can sleep anyway."

After a moment, I decided to do as she said. I pecked her cheek and rose to my feet. "I love you, Claire. See you later."

"I'll be here." She chirped in response. Her words bounced around my mind as I sat next to Loki, thinking over every warning she had given me.

"Enjoying your time with your sister?" He asked quietly, watching his own brother as he spoke.

"Yes, I am. I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see her again."

"Mmm." I noted the coldness in his manner and felt a flicker of doubt rise to the surface. Maybe, Claire was right after all. Who was I, anyway? I shouldn't think myself special enough to make any difference in him. To be anything more than another notch on the bedpost. I ground my teeth in frustration, the doubts and anger going round and round in my mind.

I hadn't been to school for nothing. I knew what I needed to do. Somehow, the necessary things were always so much easier when it wasn't personal. "I need to ask you something."

"Then ask." The disinterest in his voice was apparent. He was in one of his moods again and I sighed.

_Just spit it out, Olivia. Get it over with. _"I need to know what I am to you."

"That's a statement, not a question." His tone was as if he were scolding an impertinent child.

I clicked my teeth. He was intolerable when he was in such a state. "Fine. What am I to you?"

"You're the psychologist. Why don't you tell me?"

My patience began to wear thin. "I want to hear it from you."

He sighed with exasperation, as if I were a great burden. "You already know."

Right. He was as cooperative as doorstop. I'd had enough. "Do I?" My voice a bit louder than I would have liked. I noticed the others paused for a brief moment to stare at me before returning to their conversation. The advantage was that Loki at least bothered to look at me. "Because I'm not sure if I can keep up anymore. One day, what we have is brilliant and beautiful. And the next day, you sit around brooding, and sulking, and angry. Somedays, you won't even look at me; like I don't even exist. I just...I just can't deal with this shit anymore! And I need to know now before..." My voice trailed off.

He glowered at me through slits. "If you're so unhappy, why don't you leave, then?" It was a challenge, a dare. Was I tough enough to stick it out? Was I going to give up on him like everyone else had?

"I'm not unhappy, you dunce! I just need to know if all I am to you is a-" I exhaled sharply, deciding to not mince words. "Screw buddy."

His expression changed from anger to slight amusement, the suspicion remaining in his eyes. "Screw buddy?"

"What?"

"It's rather abrupt, isn't it?"

"Like I said, I can't deal with it anymore." I raised my brows expectantly, worrying my lip in anticipation.

"No, Olivia. You are not just a 'screw buddy'. Though, I'm not complaining." I studied his body language, his facial expressions, in search of deception. To my relief, he was being truthful.

"Good. Because I'd hate to have gotten so attached for nothing." I pretended to pick dirt off my clothes.

"Attached?" His lips curved into a grin.

I rolled my eyes in response. "You know it's true. Though, I'm beginning to think that I should put you through the same crap I have to deal with. Maybe, you'll learn to appreciate me more."

"I do appreciate you."

"Really? Because it doesn't seem like it." My tone was short.

His features softened and I became aware that the personality I didn't like was beginning to recede. "I wish I could explain to you what it's like-"

"I know what it's like." I interrupted, looking at him intensely. "It's as if there's an entirely different person, waiting for the perfect moment to take over. An angry, spiteful, vengeful person who wants nothing more to destroy the ones who hurt them. And it doesn't matter who gets in the way or how _you _really feel, because all they seem to care about is revenge. That's what pain and animosity that's been left to fester does; it creates another personality that's stronger than your own. And you're left alone to watch the fallout in horror."

His mouth twitched in recognition. "I truly don't give you enough credit."

"If you'd stop convincing yourself the world hates you, you might find things to be different." We sat in silence for a moment, watching the others. I had often wondered what having an ordinary mind was like. To not notice how people interacted with another. The subtle nuances of emotion and true intent. Life must have been so...boring. What an interesting inner plot they were. Sif's eyes lit up when Thor spoke to her, the inner emotions making themselves apparent to me. How greatly she loved him. Though, if one were to look closely behind her, one would find the great longing that Fandral looked upon Sif with.

"I shall try to make more of an effort." Loki stated quietly, pulling me from my observations.

"Thank you." I leaned closer to him, allowing my head to fall onto his shoulder. "So, how long has the love triangle been going on?"

He chuckled, wrapping his arm around me. "How long ago did you notice?"

"Eh, first time I met them."

"It is pathetically obvious, isn't it?"

"It is a bit pathetic, yeah."

"Honestly? As long as I can recall. From the time we were children, really."

"And Thor doesn't have a clue in the world..."

"Not one."

"Neither does she."

"No."

"I have a difficult time imagining the six of you as children." I mused, biting my thumbnail.

A wistful smile appeared on his lips. "For most of my life, I remember being in Thor's shadow. But there were good moments, I suppose."

"Such as?" I was eager to hear a story, one that wouldn't leave him feeling angry.

"Thor and I frequently caused a great amount of chaos at home. Hiding our parents' personal belongings, pranking innocent bystanders. Typical childish things." He paused, a full smile spreading across his face. "Thor was considerably more foolhardy than I was. I hardly remember a time when he wasn't injured or about to be."

"I could see that."

"Before we were old enough, he and I used to sneak into the Hall of Relics. We weren't supposed to touch any of the artifacts but even as a child, Thor had an affinity for Mjolnir. One day, he could scarcely wait any longer. He convinced me to lift him high enough to touch the handle. It wasn't a moment later that he had burned his hand."

"Burned his hand? Why?"

"It was a theft deterrent that was placed upon all the relics. Your presence in the hall had to be allowed by Odin. Given that we were underage, his hand was burned. He fell over and knocked me down. His hand was red and swollen so, naturally, when Mother saw it, she was furious."

"Naturally."

"She was insistent upon how it had happened. Thor has always been a dreadful liar and so I concocted a story about being in the kitchen; that we were trying to trying to knick a tray of sweets but that it was too hot and he got burned."

"She didn't ask to see your hand?"

"No, I said he had touched the tray before me. We had to eat broiled bildshnipe for a week with no sweets."

"Ugh, I don't even know what that is and it sounds terrible."

He laughed and I noticed his eyes grow heavy from sadness, clearly wondering how it had all gone wrong. "What about you? Surely, you and your sister had some interesting moments."

I snorted. "Too many to count. We didn't prank anyone or cause trouble in the house. I could be wrong, but I think that girls don't really do that sort of thing as much." He watched me expectantly. "But we did do plenty of stupid stuff."

"Why do I have the feeling she was the instigator?"

"Probably because you and I are too similar for words." I finished, giggling slightly. "My sister, being the good, Texas girl that she is..." My eyes glanced to Claire sitting cross legged in the distance. "Always loved horses. I was absolutely petrified of them. But she had the brilliant idea that to get rid of my fear, I should ride one."

"That sounds like a terrible plan."

"Yeah, the idea sucked. So, we snuck out of class-I think I was eight or nine, she was around eleven or twelve- and rode our bikes down to the local stable. The minute we got there, I changed my mind. I wanted to go back but she, being my brave and perfect older sister, must be correct so I continued on. Since we were supposed be in school, we had to sneak around the place. The only horse that was saddled was a black stallion named Shadow. The moment I got on the thing, it bolted off. I could barely hang on to the reins. Everyone who worked there came running out to try to stop me, but it was too late. He had thrown me off and I think I flew about fifty feet backwards. Broke my leg, cracked three ribs, and got covered in bruises. Mom was pissed and Claire felt terrible." I chuckled. "But it was the most fun I'd ever had."

"Still afraid of horses?"

"Not so much. As scary as it was, it was also incredibly thrilling."

We sat in silence, my head resting on his shoulder, his fingers stroking my own. "I have a proposal for you." He said at last.

I turned to look at him, a faraway gaze in his eyes. "I'm listening."

"What would you say to marriage now?"

I searched his face frantically, trying to discern if he was serious. "Are you...are you seriously asking me to marry you?"

"Yes, I am. When we return to Earth, of course. But I am asking." There was the slightest trace of doubt; the fear that I would reject him.

"I-I'd be happy to. _If _you're completely serious."

"I am."

"Okay, then." Astonishment flooded me. The evening had been a far cry from what I had expected. "This isn't because of what I said earlier, is it?"

"Not at all." He wasn't lying. My mouth fell open in surprise but I was quick to close it.

"Well, then. I guess we're getting married."

"We're getting married." He confirmed, kissing the top of my head. I sat in dumb shock, reeling from what had just happened.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I decided today there will likely be a third and final installment. In the meantime, enjoy **

"Olivia." A voice whispered in my ear, pulling me from my sleep. "Olivia." I felt a gentle nudging in my shoulder. How pleasant my dreams had been, I didn't want to leave. Dreams of having a family once more. How truly lovely it was, to have my sister returned to me. To have Loki freed from his misery. I didn't want reality to set in and ruin everything. "Olivia, you need to wake." It whispered again, kissing my ear.

"Mmrmrrgh!" I muttered sleepily, stretching halfway onto my back, my arms lengthening above me.

"I didn't catch that."

I opened my eyes to see nothing but blurs. I blinked, attempting to remove the fog from my eyes to no avail. Yawning, I rose to sitting, massaging my lids with my fingers. "Do I have to?" Mornings were not really my thing. Most days, I functioned on caffeine and food because I seemed unable to ever be willing to wake up. Sleep was like an extremely enjoyable coma once I had quit having nightmares.

"If you want to return home, yes."

"Uurrgh!" I replied, collapsing to the side, my arms wrapping around Loki's torso as I allowed my head to fall on his chest. "I want to slee-ee-eep!" Mornings also seemed to have the magical ability to turn me into a two year old.

"And the toddler emerges..." He muttered with amusement as he attempted to un-entwine my fingers from their grip around him.

"I'm really tired!" I yawned, burying my head deeper into his chest.

"You haven't been like this in ages."

"But I want to sleep!"

He sighed with exasperation. "Come on, get up." Loki pecked the top of my head before pushing my arms upward in attempt to get me to move.

"I hate you." I mumbled, my arms flopping to my sides.

"I hate you too." He grabbed my limp hand and pulled me to my feet. I hoped I glowered at him as I rose. My vision still blurry, I thought I could make out a smile on his face, though I couldn't be entirely sure.

"Still not a morning person, I see." Claire chirped from beside me.

"I hate you all." I replied. I could feel the early morning crust still in my eyes and I rubbed vigorously, hoping that perhaps it would fix my fuzzy vision. "Where is my coffee? My precious nectar of the gods? Where is it?" I demanded, my voice raising slightly.

"The underworld doesn't have coffee, sweetie." Claire responded, her voice alight with humor. "But on occasion we do have a nice feast, now and then."

"Is there coffee at a feast?"

"No."

"Your feasts suck."

She grabbed me by my hand and pulled me forward. I stumbled slightly, muttering under my breath. "Claire, I must ask. Has she always been like this?" Loki inquired, the same obnoxious pleasure in his tone.

"Always." My sister responded emphatically. "How long have you been living with her now?" She knew the answer perfectly well, though I had a sense she was attempting to discern his feelings towards me.

"Over a year."

"You should be used it by now."

"Oh, I am. I was just interested if it had been life-long."

"Yes. Absolutely."

I sighed as we journeyed to the border of the entrance, my vision beginning to clear in the process. The stairs descended into darkness and I felt a chill run down my spine. "We're going down there, aren't we?"

"Yes. At the bottom, you'll find the entrance to Hel's Halls."

Lovely. Just lovely. I scowled as she led the way down, fighting to keep my fear in check. "I am not prepared to do this without coffee." I complained.

"Too bad, sweetie. You wanted to come."

I had begun to question why I had agreed. Loki had wanted me to, unable to trust his own behavior around his brother. I looked back to the others, the divide between us and them seeming like a canyon. Hardly a word had been exchanged between us. I realized how very betrayed they had felt by Loki, the disappointment evident. Yet, I could also see Loki's own loneliness, his feelings of inferiority and horror at who he was. A frost giant was a monster, a story to frighten young Asgardians at bedtime. He had fought them alongside his brother, only to discover he was one himself. How disconcerting it must have been-to have the knowledge that you are, and would always be, a nightmare. Perhaps, that was what had driven him mad: the desire to be loved and wanted, yet knowing it could never be; simply because of what he was. If it was a monster they expected, then a monster he would become.

"You're not complaining, so you must be thinking." Claire stated from ahead of me.

"Maybe."

"Baby sister, I know you all too well."

We traveled in silence and I frequently stole glances at Loki and Thor. Claire had said our destinies were tied. That what lie before us affected the three of us. I had been puzzled by it since she had said it. I shook the thoughts from my mind and focused on the journey at hand.

Hours passed as we delved deeper and deeper into the planet. The frigid, iciness of Niflheim soon faded to a slight chill as we descended. The caverns changed into a decided architecture of carved stone. Blue torches evolved into iron sconces. My heart raced at the change, a dread sinking into the pit of my stomach.

As tensions mounted, a skittering echoed around the chamber. "What was that?" I whispered, heart in my throat. Then the sound multiplied, thousands upon thousands of times. It was as if the very walls were moving. In the dark, I could scarcely see. Loki wrapped his arm around my waist and I knew something was very wrong.

"No matter what happens, stay with your sister. Do not, under any circumstances, draw attention to yourself. Let us handle this." He released me then, pushing me towards Claire.

"Olivia, we need to go." She stated hurriedly, gripping my hand in hers.

"Claire, you know what I can do." I whispered, searching what I could see of her face for admittance. I found it. "You probably even know why. Would it help?"

She grimaced and shot me a look that said, "Don't you dare."

"Claire?"

"You don't even know how to control it!" She hissed, pulling me forward. "Just let the brawny Asgardians take care of it! I won't let you-"

I interrupted her then. "You know as well as I do that I can't die. If I can heal from a burn, surely I can heal from death."

"Not without cost, Olivia. It's not worth it. Please, just come on! Let me protect you!"

"From what? What is it?"

But I got my answer a second later. It slid down, its web glistening above it. Hulking pincers and numerous, soulless eyes. Spiders. Thousands and thousands of spiders.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Because I love plot twists!**

I stared open mouthed at the sight in front of me. How was it possible for such creatures to exist? Surely, the planet must have had an excess amount of oxygen. Wasn't that the sort of thing that was most likely?

"Olivia, come on." Claire whispered nervously. "I know a place where we can be safe."

"What will happen to everyone else?"

Her only response was a grimace. I sighed, casting a look around the room for something, anything, to help. "You're not coming are you?"

"I can't just leave everyone to die."

Claire gave me an exasperated look. "You have no idea how delicate you really are, do you?"

"I'm not delicate."

"You are now."

As much as I loved my sister, her continual allusions to knowing something I didn't irked me. "Since you seem to know so much about me, why don't you share? I'd love to know what I am now!"

"Please," She implored, her face a somber sight. "Just trust me. I can help the others. But please..."

Deciding I was fighting a losing battle, I acquiesced. She led me through the endless spiders, all clapping their pincers angrily. We dodged attacks right and left as I held onto her hand. We finally reached a small opening in one of the stone columns. "Stay here until I come get you. You'll be safe here." My sister pushed me through the crack and I was plunged into utter darkness. I could hear the sounds of battle outside my haven, the sounds of spiders attacking and dying.

What had happened to me? Why was I so fragile that my sister seemed to think me better off inside a column? I had never before felt so useless. Even the year before, I had at least contributed theories as to what was going on. Now, however, I knew that my presence was a burden upon all. I was capable of doing great things, that much I did know, but it would seem that in the process I had become weaker.

Remaining in safety went against everything I believed in. I was not fond of cowardice and I felt that I should pull my weight, given that I had volunteered to come. Instead, I was tucked away safe and sound, leaving everyone else to do the dangerous work.

I was nearly of the mind to leave when a great explosion sounded from outside. The ground shook from the force and I felt the column begin to shift around me. Quickly, I squeezed through the opening, barely escaping its collapse. Upon exit, I discovered thousands of spider bodies on their backs, their legs curled in tightly.

My eyes spotted Claire and I growled. "I'll be safe! Those were your exact words, were they not?"

Her features expressed remorse. "You were safe. For most of it, anyway."

"The column just collapsed! I barely made it out!"

I strode to where she was, grabbing her by her wrist and leading her away from the group. "I want to know what is going on and I want to know now!" I hissed.

"Olivia, I can't tell you-"

"The hell you can't. I've never hidden away from a fight in my life. You keep babying me, as if I'm incapable of taking care of myself. I want to know what is going on."

"Please! Just-"

"Trust you? No. I'm tired of being spoken to like a child. You know everything that's going on with me. What I am. What happened. What's apparently happening now. Give me at least that. At least tell me why I have to be so careful."

I watched the emotions play across her face like a movie. Anxiety, fear, concern, worry, sorrow, sympathy. All at once they coalesced into every feature and I knew whatever it was, it was bad enough to create such turmoil in my dead sister.

"I can't."

"Then act it out! Do something!"

"When was the last time, you know..." She raised a brow in gesture, as if it was going to help me discern the meaning.

"If you're talking about sex-"

"No! The other thing!"

"What other thing?"

"You know! The _other _thing!"

"No! I don't!"

Claire glanced around nervously once more. She played with her fingers, wrapping one index around the other repeatedly. "Can I just say that things aren't about you anymore? Not _just _you?"

A sinking dread crept into my stomach. No. Surely, she couldn't mean. I had to be interpreting what she was saying incorrectly. "You don't mean-"

My sister shot me a sympathetic look. "Olivia, I can tell you that you are, possibly, the most powerful woman in the universe. But at this moment, right now, you're incredibly vulnerable. Just wait. Okay? Just be a bit more careful."

I felt as if the floor had fallen from under my feet. This couldn't be happening. I had never even wanted this! Never, not once!

"No one can know, Olivia." My sister cautioned, her gaze drifting to Loki.

"Why?"

"It's not the time. You'll know when to say it. But I can't take you farther than the gates to Hel's Halls. After that, you're on own. I need you to promise me, no matter what, you'll be careful."

I swallowed hard, anxiety filling every inch of me. I nodded once in assent. Claire's features relaxed somewhat, though the same sympathy remained. I was caught in an incredibly precarious position and I knew it. I was responsible for three peoples' fates. They were in my hands. A knowing that somehow, in some way, it was I who would have to face Hel. I was the one who would be searching for her hidden agendas and motives. All while being unable to anything drastic. I would have to somehow win using only my intellect without getting physically involved. Because in reality, it wasn't just Thor, Loki, and myself I was responsible for. There was now another person to consider; I was pregnant.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Chapter Ten! I hope this makes up for the shortness of the previous chapter. Happy reading :-)**

The unease I felt gradually increased as we went further along. We were nearly to Hel's Halls, having battled more than just giant spiders. A small band of skeletons had discovered us at one point, as well as lost souls who had never reached the gates. Still, in spite of it all, what terrified me more than any monster or creature of the dark was my current predicament. I felt utterly powerless, questioning how I was supposed to save us all.

All too soon, I had to depart from my sister. The doors to the halls of Hel were too frightening for words. Each one was a solid piece of iron, reliefs of processions of the dead in every inch. There were no handles and as we approached a ghostly guard seemed to appear out of nowhere. He was gaunt, his features seeming to have frozen mid-decay. Upon his head, he wore a typical viking helmet, his once great visage marred by death.

"We seek audience with Hel." Thor commanded.

"The Son of Asgard. Yes, she has been expecting you and your brother. Follow me."

I took a long, morose look at my sister. She smiled sadly, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm never going to see you again, am I?" I whispered.

"No. You won't."

We clung to each other as if the very world around us was crumbling to pieces. I savored and treasured every last detail of her presence, of the last time I would spend with my sister. "You need to go." She stated, her voice cracking.

"I know, but I don't want to."

Forlornly, I watched Thor and Loki begin to follow the guard. As Sif and the Warriors Three began to enter, the guard stopped. "You shall not enter."

"What do you mean we shall not enter?" Fandral inquired hotly.

"Hel seeks to meet with only three. The Sons of Asgard and the Daughter of Earth."

Daughter of Earth. That was me. I hugged my sister one last time, tears streaming down my cheeks. "What you are going to be is very brave, Olivia. You have to be." Claire stated, pushing me away.

"Her?" Fandral replied with disbelief. "We have made a vow to follow Thor-"

"Hel does not negotiate. She requires only the presence of three. You shall wait here until they return."

"Bye, Claire." I whispered, feeling my resolve begin to crumble. She waved in response, her form beginning to change to that same translucent blue she had appeared with. I worried my lip, slowly approaching the ghostly guard.

The doors closed shut behind us and I felt the slightest twinge of fear. No, I couldn't afford to be afraid. What had I said before? Shove your emotions in a drawer and lock away the key? I could do that. I had to. My mind decided, I drew in a breath and stood tall, preparing myself for the meeting that was to come. None of us spoke a word as we traveled down the grand hallway of white marble. Now and again, I took note of the decor and realized it was far less fearsome than the entrance had been.

The torchlight was no longer blue, a regular flame taking its place. Each step echoed around the stone hall, magnified hundreds of times. The guard stopped at a set of wooden doors, pushing them open before us. "My mistress, the three children are here."

Children. What an odd way to describe us. "Send them in." A raspy, hollow sounding voice replied. As we entered the chamber, three twisted, gigantic roots hung from the ceiling. A stone throne sat directly underneath them, a frightening figure sitting upon it.

She was nearly skeletal, her black hair hanging limply from her head. The skin of the woman was half black, half flesh colored and her black eyes glinted malevolently. Her sunken cheeks and sallow complexion gave her a sense of ancient evil and I felt my hairs stand on end when I noticed the sharpness of her teeth.

"At long last, the day has come." She croaked, clutching the black staff in her right hand tightly.

"Mistress Hel," Thor began boldly, his shoulders back in defiance. "We come seeking your aid."

"I know why you have come." Hel replied shortly, a tone of anger in her words. "But I shall not give you what you seek."

I watched Thor's face betray the slightest hint of confusion. "I beseech you to-"

"I desired your presence here. And I am the one who summoned you. You shall not speak unless spoken to!" She rose to her feet then, slowly stepping down from her throne. I realized how very small and wizened she was. Hel moved towards Loki, her arms outstretched in welcome.

"My dear, dear child of frost." She began happily, touching his face. I saw him flinch backwards. "It is good that you came. I have great need of you."

"What could you possibly need with me?"

"All in good time, dear boy. All in good time." Her black eyes found me then and I steeled myself as her sharp teeth erupted into a grin. "Olivia!" She exclaimed, as if we were old friends. "Come with me, dear girl. Come, come!"

My knees jerked with every step as I obeyed her orders. A sickening feeling descended upon me when she wrapped her bony fingers around my arm. "Let us walk together. I have much to show you."

I locked my jaw, too afraid that I would run in response. She led me behind her throne, through another set of oaken doors, and into a small chamber. A glass vessel sat upon a stone pedestal, an eerie blue light coming from it. Hel climbed the stairs to stand by the vessel and I knew she sought me to follow. Reluctantly, I climbed the stone steps, fighting the anxiety that filled my bones.

"The Daughter of Earth who became the Guardian of Time. Yes, yes! Let me look at you!" Guardian of Time? That was I had become? My sister's words echoed in my mind and I made it a point to observe everything.

"I'm afraid I'm a bit confused as to why I'm here, exactly." I stated finally, forcing each word out with innocence.

"Fret not, fret not! All will be revealed. You have many questions, do you not? About what you have become?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, hoping my appearance hid my true intentions. I trusted the woman as far as I could throw her, especially given her interest in Loki. My mind began to piece things together, making a rough model of what her plan was.

"What an honor it is. To meet the Lady of Time in the flesh." Hel gently bowed before me and I fought the desire to narrow my eyes. "Never before has such a gift been given. Not to even one."

"I'm afraid I still don't understand."

"My dear girl, do you not see the great power you possess?" I was beginning to understand alright. And I knew that she needed whatever power I had to accomplish her scheme.

"Not really." I replied blandly.

"Time itself kissed you, my dear. Bestowed upon you an incredible gift: to see and travel throughout time. Why, you could even alter time, if you so wished." There it was. Right there. She needed me to alter something. An outcome in her favor.

"Surely, you can't be offering this knowledge to me out of kindness?"

Hel laughed, a bloodcurdling sound emerging from her throat. "Of course, I am. Why, it would be my pleasure to educate the Lady of Time of who she is."

_Liar._ I thought to myself, keeping the innocent expression upon my face. "What is it you wanted to show me?"

She grinned, the sight of each razor sharp tooth visible. Hel motioned to the glass vessel, bidding me to look. "A choice." Hesitantly, I leaned over the glass, waiting for something to happen. Just when I had nearly decided to move, the water inside the bowl began to shift, changing into that same golden dust I had become all too familiar with.

In an instant, I could see all of time and space. Everything that ever was or could be. A moment later, a scene of Loki and Thor emerged. The two were laughed as they embraced one another. Countless similar images raced by and I saw not the broken man I had known. In his place was a happy and fulfilled person. There was no trace of anger or betrayal in Loki's eyes. Not even a hint of foul humor. The two were brothers, through and through.

I realized the choice she was offering me. I could alter past events, change Loki's upbringing. If I did that, I could change it all. Never would he have been jealous of Thor, which meant he never would have fallen through the cracks of the universe. He would never have attacked New York and he certainly would never hate his family so much. Which was the second point. Loki would be able to have a family, a place to call home. He would be surrounded by love and would love in return. He also, however, would never have met me.

Inwardly, I was willing to do what was needed. My love for him was great enough that I was willing to erase all traces of myself from his life if it meant giving him the one thing he had always desired. Very nearly, I almost responded. But a faint glimmering around the edges stopped me where I was. _All is not as it seems._

The words resounded within me, bidding me to look closer at the edges. In an instant, the scene changed and I realized what I just witnessed was a lie. In its place, I saw what could only be Ragnarok. The way it had always been intended. Loki's rage had risen to new heights, leading him to attack Asgard. Many of the worlds had been consumed in fire, the natives of each battling one another as blood flooded the ground. Having defeated the Midgard Serpent, a monster of Loki's making, Thor, with great sadness, was forced to slay his brother, sending Loki's head flying.

When it was all said and done, the loss would be great. I saw that Hel's own family would be destroyed in the process. Yet, one thing remained. Asgard and its prince would be an easy target when all was finished. Thor would be easy to remove, having been loaded with grief for the loss of his family and friends. In spite of all the pain Hel herself would suffer, ultimately, it would give her what she wanted: ultimate control of the universe.

Time shifted and I saw why she needed me so badly. In the process of arranging fate, she had made a terrible error. My life, the one I should have lived, played before me. It was over nearly as quickly as it had begun. I should have died in the fire, my tiny body burning to nothing more than a charred pile of bones. My very existence was an anomaly, a paradox. Somewhere along the way, Hel had made the unfortunate visit to Earth to collect a group of the recently deceased. In transit, she had failed to keep watch over one. Just one.

This one person fled, having escaped from the rest and returned to their body. That one oversight had altered the course of everything. Upon re-entering their body, they had drawn the attention of a large crowd, given they had survived the force of a bus hitting them. A policeman in the area was drawn to the crowd to inspect what was happening. He should have been first on the call list to inspect the fire that recently broken out at suspected drug den. However, given the recent turn of events, he was unable to respond.

My father was never to have been called. However, he was the next, and when he agreed to investigate, he found me. The other man would never have noticed my cries and would never have gone in. It was incredibly strange to know that my entire life was due to a mistake of the woman standing behind me. This was what Hel sought from me: to fix her mistake. By removing myself from Loki's timeline, I would alleviate the consequences of his meeting me.

No longer was he such an easy pawn. He had the opportunity for change and she simply could not allow that to happen. I was standing in her way to victory. Me, a puny human, had managed to derail everything. Instinctively, I knew that paradoxes needed to be resolved; they needed to be repaired. And yet, somewhere, deep inside I also knew that time could have wiped me out the moment I touched that box.

I should have disappeared from history. Instead, I had been spared. Not only spared, but changed. It had given me the ability to be standing where I was and seeing what I had seen. The knowledge that I had been deemed worthy, that I was to be used, solidified my decision. I may be a paradox but I was needed by a power greater than Hel. And if I was needed to be present, then present I would stay.

Knowing that she would have a plan in the unlikely event of my refusal, I began to piece together a few of my own. I withdrew from the vessel and turned to face Hel, her every limb waiting in eager expectation of my response. "Well, that was interesting." I stated as I plastered an expression of disinterest on my features. Her smile faltered slightly and I smiled internally. I had her right where I wanted her.


	11. Chapter 11

"So, child, have you made your choice?" Hel was practically leaning forward.

"It's very interesting and all. But I'm not quite convinced it's of any benefit to me." I shrugged with disinterest.

I saw her smile falter. Oh, I was enjoying watching this ancient being waver. It really was too much fun. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well, I mean, it seems like it would be a nice thing to do. Let Loki and Thor have their relationship back and all. But the thing is, I'm not quite sure where that leaves me. I mean, who's to say that if I give them all that I won't just...poof!" I made a hand gesture that indicated an explosion. "I kind of enjoy being alive, you know?"

"But wouldn't you rather see him happy?" She ground, her smile clearly forced.

"Eh, not if it means sacrificing myself. I'm not exactly into self sacrifice." Her black eye twitched with irritation and I smiled to myself. "So, I really appreciate you taking the time to inform me of what I am. I really do. But I'm just not sure if I want to give it all away for some guy. Surely, you can understand?"

"I would have thought, with as much as you-"

"Love him? Pfft! I wouldn't call what we have love. It's mostly just meaningless sex." I smiled. "I don't like to get romantically attached. Gets too...sticky."

"I see. So you have no intentions of..."

"Not really, no. But thanks, again." I wrapped my arms around my back and stood on my tiptoes. Any second and she would-

Voila! The next instant she grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her. "I didn't spend the past two thousand years planning my victory to be stopped by a silly, little girl!" Hel hissed. "You will change the past and I shall have my pawn!"

"I don't think I will." I whispered in reply, subtly putting my plan into motion.

"Very well, since I have you all here, it will make it that much easier to kill you all!" She released my arm, her finger reaching to touch the ring on her finger. I smiled as she discovered it was bare.

"Looking for something?" I held the ring in between my fingers, gently shaking it from side to side.

"Give me that!" Hel extended her reach but I was already gone, dashing from the room.

"Come on, boys! Time to go!" I exclaimed as I rushed past them.

"But-"

"Just come on!" The three of us took off, rushing past the ghostly guards who were beginning to stir. "Thor!" I gestured at the ring to indicate I was about to toss it. He caught in hand right as the doors behind us burst open with guards. As we raced on, returning to meet with our companions, a swarm of ghosts pursued us.

"What have you-" Sif began with confusion.

"No time to explain! We need to go!" I replied, ducking as a spirit arrow whizzed over my head.

"I take it she did not give you the ring willingly?"

"Not exactly. I may have lifted it off her while she was distracted."

"You are something for a mortal." She replied, grinning wickedly.

"Thanks."

"If we can make it to the bridge above, we can get out safely."

I tilted my head back to see an enormous stone bridge roughly two hundred feet above us. "Up there?"

"Yes."

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

"Did you think us to stand idly by while you all met Hel? The four of us scouted an escape route if need be."

"Good on you."

"LEFT!" Fandral cried from somewhere behind. I sharply turned left, my feet sliding on the stone surface. From all sides they swarmed, a deluge of the dead pursuing us. Every muscle screamed in protest. We climbed a winding staircase, seeking to outrun the army that hunted us. I could see the bridge just up ahead, pushing myself to just make it that far. My feet had just reached the surface of the bridge when the inundation arrived.

We were outnumbered a thousand to one. I saw each soul raise its ethereal weapon high as they charged collectively. "Any time." I gasped, resting my hands upon my knees for support. The first wave reached the edge of the bridge, the Asgardians drawing their weapons in response. I watched as corporeal weapons clashed against mystical ones. The dead could not be killed and I was baffled by why they were even bothering trying to stop an unceasing force.

"Just leave them! Let's go!" I shouted, attempting to reason with them. I had a sickening feeling that my plan was about to be shot to hell. The others continued fighting as they retreated backwards.

"Thor, she speaks truly! We must leave!" Sif cried. I saw his turmoil, the decision to leave or remain. Logically, there was no way we could all make it out. There were far too many. One would have to remain as a distraction.

Loki glanced back at me and I felt a deep lurch. The intent was all too clear in his eyes. In spite of everything, he would stay if it meant I would be safe. No. No, no, no, no. "Leave!" He yelled, blocking the blow of a dead guardian.

"No!"

"Thor, I trust you will care for Olivia."

"Brother-"

"GO!"

"No!" I screamed as I began to rush forward. Thor grabbed me around my waist and carried me away from Loki. The last sight of him was that of him battling fruitlessly against the hordes of the dead. In an instant, we had returned to the surface of the planet.

I was a frenzy of tears by the time Thor had set me down. "Take me back!" I cried, punching his chest. "Take me back, now!"

"Olivia-" Thor began, his tone morose.

"Take me back!" I finished, collapsing to my knees. How had my plan gone so wrong? I had expected for there to be consequences but never had I thought of one so terrible. Every inch of me shook from the intensity of my sobs. It had been a good plan. What did I-

Oh. A backup plan for the backup plan. I stopped mid-sob, my brow furrowing in thought. I had won the first battle but the war was still waging. Hel needed Loki for things to go according to plan. And while she hadn't been able to manipulate my feelings for him, she had succeeded in manipulating his for me. This had been the alternate plan, if for some reason I hadn't agreed. Create a scenario that would require one to remain. What better motivator was there than love? Loki was all too easily led by his emotions, a trait that could frequently cause trouble. Though he took the time to logically plan his attacks in vengeance, he was all too vulnerable when it came to love.

How little of it he had known. And when it had finally become available to him, when he had finally experienced it for himself, he had succumbed entirely. No matter the hatred he felt for nearly all creation, I had somehow managed to squeeze my way past the wall of animosity. Therefore, I was worth more than anything-even his own survival. I was worth more than his hatred. The thought would normally have made me delighted, though I was more concerned with Hel's next move.

I doubted she would kill him. No, she needed him too much for that. Likely, she would use my words in bluffing to try to persuade him that I, too, had betrayed him. Once she had delved her bony hands into his heart, it would be all too easy to finish it. He would complete the assault on Asgard, out of sheer loathing for his family. Likely, he would accompany the initial attacker to finish the job. And, of course, he would need Hel's ring back from Thor. How clean it would all be.

Hel must have thought me incredibly stupid. That I wouldn't even think she had an alternate plan. It was best she continued to think that I was. As I kneeled on the ground, I formulated a plan. And a backup plan. And a plan for the backup's backup. Oh, yes. This was the most interesting game of chess I had ever played and I was determined to keep my winning streak.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry that this one took me longer to load tonight. I had to review a list of formulas for my test in physics tomorrow. "So...Physics! Physics, eh? Phyyyyysics. Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics." I also apologize for that. Back to Olivia...**

I had hardly spoken a word since we had returned to Niflheim. Strategies were being put into place by the others for their return to Asgard. That suited me just fine, however, because I was busy plotting mine and Hel's moves. The success of either our plans was entirely dependent upon Loki.

Honestly, I could predict how he would respond, I knew him well enough. Though, behavior was constantly in flux. The moment you thought you knew what a person was going to do next was the moment they would surprise you. Therefore, I kept my confidence in check. One bad move on my part and he would be lost forever. I could not discount that she had likely already manipulated him into completing the attack upon Asgard, nor could I pretend that she wouldn't use my words against me.

The plan was to return to Asgard the next day and I had asked to accompany the group. Nearly all were surprised, though I knew Sif had sensed my motives. Despite what they liked to think, men were all too blind to what happened in the shadows. There was something to be said for intuition, an ability to see beyond appearances.

Despite initial reservations, I knew she and I had developed a mutual respect for one another. We were the only women and that in and of itself was enough to form a semblance of a relationship. I knew what I wanted, should I succeed in saving him. Though, a doubt still nagged at me. The fact remained that I was not of Asgard. I knew nothing of their culture or their ways. I could foresee that I may not be what he wanted in the long run. "May I ask you something?" I inquired that night while the others slept.

"What do you wish to ask?"

"I realize this is probably going to sound really childish, but who is Sigyn?"

The faintest of smiles appeared on her lips. "Are you referring to the tales of us the humans created?"

"Maybe. I was just wondering if-"

"I know that he is not dead. As surely as you do. And I know what you fear." She shot me a sympathetic look. "But if you are concerned that, should all be well, he will abandon you, I find it difficult to believe."

"When her name came up, he seemed a bit..."

"Repulsed?"

"Yes. But I thought that maybe he was just trying to make me feel better. It did seem like a bit of an exaggeration and the ancients had to have gotten the story from somewhere."

"As you are only mortal, I can understand your confusion. We have lived for millenia and, as such, mature at a much slower rate than you humans do. I suppose you could think of the time in which we are all mentioned, as the equivalent of your teenage years."

"So, raging hormones, low self-esteem, bad hair?"

She laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "I suppose so, yes. You have such a curious disposition. Both you and Jane. I must confess we are very different on Asgard."

"You do all talk like characters in a Shakespearean play."

"A what?"

"Old, human stuff. Go on."

"The six of us frequently traveled to the different realms together, when they were considerably wilder. We all courted danger for amusement. We were young and reckless. Loki has always sought to be better than Thor, for as long as I can recall. Sigyn was, and is, the most beautiful of all women on Asgard. Poems have been written of her loveliness. She has inspired countless warriors to travel to their deaths to win her favor."

"Let me guess, he managed to somehow gain hers when you were younger?"

"No matter my feelings towards him, Loki has always had a way of charming others with words. While the rest of us trained as warriors, Loki chose to pursue magic. I suspect this was to please the Allfather." She paused in remembrance. "Not only did he gain Sigyn's favor, he managed to convince her to accompany us to Midgard. Upon our arrival, the humans saw the way she looked at him and presumed her to be his wife. Loki never had any interest in Sigyn other than to gain his father's approval and to surpass Thor."

"That's it?"

"During our time there, she was captured by our foes and was nearly killed. It was due to her own foolishness. Sigyn may be beautiful but her head is as empty as an abyss. It was the last time she accompanied us, as well as the last time Loki pursued any kind of relationship with her. He found her to be-"

"Beneath him?"

"Yes."

"Thanks." I replied, the doubt quieting to silence.

"If I may speak freely?"

I shrugged in response, unsure of what she could possibly have to say. "Though I find him to be detestable, I cannot imagine anyone more suitable to him than you. If anyone was capable of changing Loki, it would be you."

"Oh. Er, thank you, Sif."

"He needs someone of great intelligence and fire, who is capable of great love and firmness."

"And you think that's me?"

"I have seen changes in him in regards to you that I have never before witnessed."

I said nothing in response, only nodding my head in acknowledgment. "Tomorrow shall be a day of great importance. We all need our rest. I hope you find the solution you seek."

"Yeah, you too."

As I moved to sleep, I considered all Sif had shared. It was impossible for me to not feel out of place. There was little in common with these people. And yet, I felt a hope stir within me that all was not lost. Sif was not a friend but she was at least an ally. And sometimes, that was more important than friendship. If she had spoken correctly, there was the possibility that I could succeed in my quest for Loki. Hel was playing for domination; I was playing for a man's soul. I just hoped he would be able to see the difference.


	13. Chapter 13

The sounds of the city blared around me. Horns blasted angrily outside my window. Blearily, I checked the clock on my nightstand. 2:41 AM. I groaned miserably, kicking the covers off my feet. A siren wailed two blocks away and I glowered at the window. My neighbors above me were at it again and I tried to tune out their sounds of ecstasy.

I looked at Sawyer's sleeping form and a felt a pang of jealousy. "Must be nice to sleep through everything." I muttered bitterly, making my way to my tiny kitchen. My fingers found the mug I had been searching for and set it upon the counter. Yawning, I dug through my drawer until I found a packet of chamomile tea. It would have to do. As I waited for the water to boil, I sat down on my lumpy sofa.

Briefly, I considered watching television. But that would likely keep awake for longer. Discarding the idea, I decided instead to read. I approached the bookcase to grab one of my favorites, "Mansfield Park", before turning to see a man standing in my living room. He seemed familiar and yet I was unable to place him. That face, I knew that face. Who was he?

"I hope I'm wrong, Olivia." My sister spoke from behind me. I whirled around, my brows drawing together.

"Claire? Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I really do."

"You really do what?" But it was no use because she was gone. I glanced at the man again, noting the sadness in his eyes. "Who are you?"

He said nothing, staring beyond me. "How did you get in here?" Again, there was no reply. Huffing with irritation, I placed my book down on the sofa. "Look, I can't wait here all night. You need to leave."

"And so it is that you, too, abandon me." How angry he sounded. That was just uncalled for.

"Look, mister. You're in my house. And I don't know you. I'm just trying to make some tea and go back to sleep."

He glared at me spitefully and I flinched instinctively. "It was all a lie! Everything we had was a lie!"

I swallowed hard, the whistling of the teapot echoing in the empty air. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

Quickly, he strode towards me, his fingers wrapping around my throat. "I loved you! I trusted you! And you betrayed me!"

"Please, I don't know what you're saying! I don't know you! I've never met you, not once!"

A tear trickled down his cheek as he squeezed harder, my air supply being cut off. The whistle grew more intense. "I would have died for you." He rasped, my fingers clutching at his hand. "You were my new hope." The man finished as my vision began to blur.

I woke with a start, only to discover I had wrapped my fingers around my throat. My chest heaved from the intensity of the dream. Loki had strangled me to death in my dream, leaving me with a sinking feeling that I had lost him for good. I tucked my knees into my chest and rested my head upon them. The only thing I had was hope that I was wrong. That he would understand. That he would listen. I felt a tremor spread through my limbs at the thought of what remained.

No. I couldn't worry about any of that. One step at a time. I exhaled slowly, allowing the stress to release from every sinew. As a psychologist, I recognized that a strangling was a very intimate murder; it required to attacker to look the victim in the eye. Every emotion and fear was on display. It was a true crime of passion because it required one to watch the life literally fade from another's eyes. Strangling was frequently common in spousal and family killings. The implications of my dream were highly disturbing and I needed to forget the matter entirely.

The others began to stir around me and I ran my fingers over my face in soothing. I could do this. I had to. "Sleep well, princess?" Fandral sneered. I replied by sticking my tongue out. So I was five. Who cared?

"My friends, this day we return to Asgard. To save our home and our king. If we should fail-" Thor began, his tone thick with emotion.

"We shall not fail." Hogun stated flatly, which abruptly ended the conversation.

"Just get it over with." I snapped with annoyance. I was met with a sympathetic look, followed by that unnerving feeling of being pulled upward through my head. Transdimensional travel was not for me. Stars and galaxies flashed past, seconds apart. I couldn't take the force, closing my eyes to keep myself sane.

All at once, it was over. I was left standing on a solid surface once more, a cold wind whipping against my cheek. "This is not right, Thor." Sif muttered sadly. I opened my eyes to see a world entirely different from my own. What must have once been a great, glittering palace was now a foreboding ghost of a structure. It towered high above everything else. The sky was an inky black with decaying bodies littering the streets. The Asgard I had imagined had likely been what it had once been. No longer was it, though.

The trees were dead and bare, their branches having been stripped of their leaves. The stench of death filled my nostrils and I fought the urge to gag. The weight of what had happened there struck me and I felt a great empathy for my companions. I could not imagine my own home ever having been turned into such a desolate wasteland.

"What's the plan, then?" I asked quietly, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"We find my father and deliver Hel's ring to him. Then, we kill the one who did this." Thor replied icily.

"We have to go in there, don't we?" I pointed to the palace.

"Yes."

"Lovely." I swallowed the lump in my throat and steeled myself for what was to come. Because of one thing I was absolutely certain, I needed to be fully competent. Hel was bringing her best and I needed to do the same. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes to harden my resolve. I could do this.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Shifting is winding down. I'm still enjoying writing about Olivia and hope you all are too. Anyway, here's another chapter for you all. Happy reading :-)**

My every step seemed to resound with finality. The wind continually battered against my cheek and I winced from the harshness of it. I knew that each moment, I drew nearer to possibly losing everything. It was frightening, how greatly love could hurt you. It gave another power over you in such a way that it could crush you.

It didn't help, of course, that when I had looked into Hel's vessel, I realized that we were living in a parallel universe. Loki had never met me in the other world. I didn't even exist. He was doomed to be killed during Ragnarok, the Asgardian version of Armageddon. Not only that, but his true love was someone else entirely. Someone who was still very much alive in the universe in which I lived. How was I supposed to cope with the knowledge that there could be, if the opportunity presented itself, a chance that he would leave me?

I mentally smacked myself for sounding so pathetic. How clever Hel had been. In showing me what I was, she had enabled me to see far more than I needed to. I began to question if I had truly made the right decision in staying present in his life. Perhaps, even if I was a paradox, if I had just walked away he would be where he was intended.

Internally, I felt a great unease at the thought. No, this wasn't the other universe. This was the only one that mattered to me and it was the one that counted. I had seen countless other universes, thousands upon thousands. How very many there were, all created by the alternate decisions that could be made. My own life had created hundreds of alternate realities. It was enough to drive anyone mad; how I had managed to stay sane was beyond me. I shook the thoughts from my mind as we approached the great doors to the palace.

"The dead likely swarm these halls." Thor cautioned.

"Olivia, it would be best if you remained between the rest of us." Sif stated pointedly.

"Fine by me."

I moved to stand in the center of the five of them as Thor opened one of the doors. The door creaked upon opening, revealing a dimly lit interior. More corpses lay on the ground, their faces frozen in terror. The door closed with a resounding "thud!" I observed the twitchiness of my companions, their general unease. I was right there along with them.

"Where shall we seek your father?" Sif whispered. "The same cell Loki was placed in?"

Thor nodded in assent and I wrinkled my brow in confusion. "So, do you guys not have a dungeon? I thought castles had dungeons?"

"Loki was not placed in the dungeon. He is far too dangerous for that."

"Oh. Somewhere nice and solitary then?"

We continued stealthily moving through the hall, stepping over the cold corpses of semi-frozen Asgardians. An eerie moan traveled down the nearest hallway, causing us to all freeze in our tracks. Not a moment later, a small group of dead warriors floated towards us, their weapons hanging lazily by their sides. Upon noticing us, they snapped to attention.

All at once, they screamed, an alarm that rang through the halls of the palace. "That's very not good." I muttered anxiously.

They were upon us in a flash, hoards of the dead attacking from every direction. I remained in the center as best I could, the others defending themselves with great clanging and effort. I began to think that our mission would end in failure, unable to foresee a winning outcome. But then there was a loud scraping sound, like nails on a chalkboard magnified a thousand times. I covered my ears in disgust, my teeth grinding together. Instantly, the dead warriors shrieked in disdain, rushing away in herds.

"Is anyone there?" I heard a small, feminine voice ask. From the shadows, a petite form emerged. Her long, brown hair was tangled into knots and the robes that she were didn't seem to fit her quite right. She had the general appearance of gritty survival, her brown eyes alert.

"Jane?" Thor inquired incredulously, rushing forward to take her into his arms. I watched him kiss her hair repeatedly, holding her close. "I trusted that you would be safe."

"I looked for you everywhere but I couldn't find you! I've been limited to traveling through the crawl spaces."

"I am sorry that I left-"

"Tell me you have something that can stop all this?"

"I do, indeed."

"Am I the only who's wondering what that noise was?" I finally asked in alarm.

"That's the sound of their master's call." Jane stated with anger. "Whenever Agmundr needs them, he emits that sound. I've tried to trace it and find out what it is but, again, I've been limited."

"Agmundr?" Fandral inquired with shock. "Surely, you must be mistaken?"

"No, it's Agmundr. He's the one behind all this."

"So, who exactly is Agmundr?" I interjected, unsure of the subject in question.

"Agmundr _was_ captain of the palace guard. He has betrayed us all! For what?"

"That's not all, guys. Guess who's been helping him as of yesterday?"

"Hel?"

"That's who he works for. No, Loki came back yesterday. The first thing he did was order a fresh batch of executions." My heart sank at the news. Hel was winning thus far, having resurrected the evil in his heart.

"Loki? But he died! He was taken by the-"

"That was just part of her plan." I stated flatly, my jaw tensing at the thought. "Manipulate him into staying when I failed to play her game. I have a fairly good idea of what she said to him."

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've met." Jane stated with interest.

"Doctor Olivia Grant." I replied, the two of us shaking hands.

"Jane Foster. Doctor Grant? I went to one of your symposiums at Harvard once."

"Oh, I'm sorry." I grimaced at the thought. Those symposiums were always full of people who loved to hear themselves talk. In the process of trying to make things interesting, I had done said some strange things.

"No, no. I thought it was pretty interesting. I mean, I had originally come to hear Doctor Faroud Hajik talk about anti-matter but I think he was sick that day. But I stayed for yours and it was really good."

"Thanks."

"What are you doing here?"

"It's kind of a long story..."

"Oh, okay. Well, come on. We should probably get out of here before they come back."

She led us down another corridor before stopping at a small grate in the floor. One by one, we jumped down the opening. The cold seeped into my clothes, my breath visible in the pale moonlight that streamed through the small openings in the walls. "I never knew this existed." Sif stated with surprise as we walked on.

"I was desperate and decided to jump down one at the last minute. Not all of them go places but this one does."

"My father-"

"They have him locked up in the pit beneath the castle. Where your brother was, actually."

"We must find him immediately. He will know what to do with Hel's ring."

"We have to make it past this bend up here, first. That's where Agmundr and Loki like to spend their time, so there are always plenty of guards."

I noted the information carefully. When the opportunity arose, I had every intention of doubling back and attempting to reason with Loki. We had just reached the bend in the tunnel when I could hear voices above us.

"I don't care if you have to search every nook and cranny of this castle! Find her and bring her to me! Go!"

"Are you certain she's here?" Loki inquired quietly.

"I would bet my life on it. You will have your revenge and we shall have our victory! Now come, let us climb to the roof and examine our good work."

Their footsteps faded away into the distance. "Let's go!" Jane whispered intensely, moving quickly down the way. I walked with them, slowing my pace ever so slightly as to slip away unnoticed. It was easier than I had expected and I watched as they rushed on ahead of me.

Stealthily, I returned to where we had waited a moment before. I climbed up the stone wall, listening and watching for movement. When I found I was alone, I slid the grate carefully from its place and crawled onto the floor. Quickly, I returned the grate to its place, looking around nervously.

I knew what I would have to do if Loki was lost. He could not be allowed to continue; Hel would wreak havoc upon every inch of the universe if he remained. As much as the thought pained me, I would have to kill him. Better me than someone who hated him. At least I would be kind enough to do it quickly, if need be. I gritted my teeth at the thought.; sincerely hoping it wouldn't come to that. With great anxiety, I began the ascent of the staircase to the roof, hoping against hope that he could still be saved.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So, probably only about three chapters left in Shifting. Be prepared for a third part, more than likely being titled a 's' verb again. Oh and the new avatar is my idea of what Olivia looks like, this is what happens when I get bored haha. Happy reading :-)**

As I reached the top of the stairs, I took one last, deep breath. Everything in me screamed for hope that everything wasn't lost. That there would be some small trace of good left in him. With great trepidation, I opened the door that I knew would lead onto the roof. Icy wind greeted me, blowing my hair in all directions and cutting into my flesh.

At the sound of the door, the person who could only be Agmundr turned. His skin was a flaxen color with golden hair to match. He would have been quite attractive, in fact, were not for the ugly, jagged scar that ran from the middle of his left-eyebrow down to his jaw. He smiled eagerly upon my arrival. "Did I not tell you she was here?"

Loki turned at that moment, anger flaring in features. At the sight of me, however, I noticed the faintest trace of sadness in his eyes; a glimmer of feeling remaining. I clung to the hope that I could dissuade him from his rampage, that he would at least see reason.

"Have you come to stop me?" He asked mockingly. It had always been so easy for me to see him. All I ever needed to do was wait and he would destroy himself. Despite the hatred that I had come to understand, I saw the inferiority complex that remained. The desire to be wanted, to be needed, to be loved. That part hadn't changed since the day I met him. It was others who preyed on those needs to manipulate his pain and sense of loneliness to their whims.

"I came to talk." I replied quietly, wrapping my coat tighter around myself in the arctic weather.

"Talk." He spat. "The time for talking has long since passed."

The wind whipped my hair as I stood on the platform. I stood face to face with Loki, the pain evident in his eyes. "She's in your grasp now, Loki. The woman who betrayed you. Finish her." Agmundr ordered gleefully.

The problem with Agmundr was that he was convinced the entire game was already won. He failed to understand two things: one was that despite the deceptions of Hel, Loki still loved me greatly, that was evident from the way he looked at me; the second was that I was playing, not for the salvation of the universe, but for Loki. The two together could very easily be the undoing of every plan the two had hatched. Couple that with the fact that I had discovered who and what I was, and well, I was no longer convinced I would lose.

Of course, the deciding factor in all of this was Loki. He had to choose who he was to believe. I saw his reluctance and I used to my advantage. "I know that you feel like you can't trust me,"

Loki's nostrils flared in response. Anger was good. I could deal with anger. "What did she say to you? Hmm? What did Hel tell you about me?"

"As if I need to dignify that with an answer." He sneered.

"Humor me. If you're going to kill me, I at least want the opportunity to fully explain."

I watched his jaw tense. "I don't owe you a kindness."

"No, you don't. But you also have spent over a year with me. We both know that you know me better than any other person in existence. All my dirty, little secrets. You know how I think and you know the way I work. You know things about me that no one else can understand. So, I am asking, to please let me explain. That's all. You can decide for yourself when I'm finished. But please, just let me talk."

He said nothing in response. The only way I knew he had agreed was that he looked at the ground. "I'm guessing she quoted me from earlier. 'I wouldn't call what we have love'-"

"It's mostly just meaningless sex." He finished angrily.

"'I don't like to get romantically attached. Gets too...sticky.' I assume she told you all these things?"

"So you do not deny you said them." It was an accusation, not a question.

"I don't, no. But you do know me. And I know that you know there's more to the story than what she told you. It's been plaguing you, hasn't it? Though, you've always been far too eager to think the world hates you. I imagine it was rather easy to accept, wasn't it? The idea that I didn't love you? Never had, never would? That it was all a lie?"

"Do not pretend, for one moment, that you know how I feel." He hissed. I could see through the act. The entire show. Loki was like a wounded animal, growling to keep you away. His threats towards me were empty.

Still, I played along to a degree. Giving him space to think. To consider my words. "I'm sure she left out what it was that she wanted me to do, why I had to bluff. You do realize that she and I are in a game of chess?"

"And I am but a pawn to the both of you!" He exclaimed. "My entire life, I have been nothing but a tool; a piece to move around the board! First by Odin, then the Chiutari, and now you."

I swallowed hard, tears stinging my eyes. I knew he didn't mean what he said. Not really. Still, the idea that he thought I would view him such hurt me deeply. "You are a pawn, but not to me. Hel and I are in a game of chess. Where her end game is domination, using you as a pawn for her conquest, my goal is to remove you entirely." My voice cracked from emotion. "I'm trying to save you. I don't care about the universe, I just care about you."

His brow furrowed in thought. "Surely, you aren't going to fall for that?" Agmundr inquired hotly. "She is the one who lied to you! It was she who betrayed you! Tell me, when has my mistress steered you wrong?"

"I am asking you, begging you, to not do this. Please, Loki. Do not do this. You can kill me if you like, just don't let her win. Don't give her the satisfaction of using you like a puppet."

Loki stood between the two of us, Agmundr acting as the voice of Hel. I stood representing myself, which could be either good or bad. The inner conflicts showed on his features. "Why should I listen to you? After all you've done?"

"You don't have to. What I am giving you, however, is an alternative choice. Hel has offered you the annihilation of Asgard, of the people who betrayed you from the start. With that, you have the opportunity to destroy me as well. But I can promise you, if you listen to me, it'll be worth your while."

"And what could you possibly have to offer me? I can get my meaningless sex elsewhere." The words were meant to sting, which they did. Still, I resolved to continue on.

"I can't offer you vengeance and righteous anger. But I do love you. More than anything." A tear rolled down my cheek as I spoke. "And I know it's not much, but I can give you me. And a home. And a family." My voice had faded to a whisper by the end of it. Hel's plan had been manipulation of his feelings. My only play was honesty and if Loki couldn't see that I was telling the truth, then there was nothing else I could do.

His bottom lip quivered slightly. Every thought, the very battle within, was evident to me. Finally, he spoke. "How can you promise me a family, when I have none?"

I swallowed hard, glancing at my feet in timidity. "When we were at the entrance to Helheim, you asked me to marry you. And I said yes. It wasn't long after that I..." I trailed off, raising my gaze to his own. "I'm pregnant." I whispered, loud enough so that only he would hear.

He looked like he had just received a forceful blow. "What?"

"I-I'm pregnant." My next words came out in a rush. "Claire had been treating me strangely and I made her tell me why. It makes sense. I should have caught on sooner. Technically, I was six weeks late..."

"FINISH HER!" Agmundr cried angrily, his temper flaring.

"Tell me honestly, is it true?" Loki pleaded, his voice barely audible.

"Yes." I crumbled then, allowing the emotions to flood me. "I'm asking you to stay with me. I'm terrified. And I-I need you. I want you to stay with me. I don't want you to-to..." But I couldn't finish, closing my eyes in despair. Only a flicker of hope remained that he would trust me, my confidence that I could save him disintegrating. I should have known better than to try to convince me of my intentions. He had been damaged too many times. In trying to outsmart Hel, I had given her the upper hand. Loki was just too angry and too broken.

"IF YOU WILL NOT KILL HER, I WILL DO IT MYSELF!" Agmundr strode towards me, his sword unsheathed. "You have lost, pathetic mortal!" He snarled, grabbing me and pulling my head back. "Soon, Hel shall take this universe, and you will die with the knowledge that there was nothing you could do to stop her." I felt the edge of his blade upon my throat as he continued to hold my head back, his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

There was little comfort in knowing that I couldn't die. I couldn't even age. I would, however, lose what piece of Loki I had left, our baby. My cells would regenerate but the child's would not. They would be utterly lost and I would have nothing left. Nothing at all.

"Olivia," Loki began sadly. I knew he still struggled with who to believe. Who actually cared.

"It's okay." I croaked. "I hurt you and I am sorry. I'm so, so sorry. But I want you to know that I always loved you. Always." My world was falling around me. I had played the game and I had lost. Everything. My eyes closed in reluctant acceptance.

"Let her go, Agmundr." Loki commanded weakly. "Just let her go. There is no reason for her to die."

"There is _every _reason for her to die, you fool! Did you think we would leave her alone when you finished this nasty, little mess up for us? This disgusting creature has far too much power to be allowed to live!" His fingers dug into my throat and I began to choke for lack of air.

It was the wrong thing to say. Even as I stood choking, I knew it was the wrong thing to say. Agmundr had spoken the words Hel would never have said. And it had been her undoing. In an instant, I watched as Loki lunged towards Agmundr. Instinctively, he had let go of my windpipe, causing me to fall to the ground, coughing as I did so. I peered up to watch Loki thrust his spear through Agmundr's chest, lifting him high as he did so. "Tell your _mistress_," He spat with hatred. "That I'm no longer interested."

He yanked the spear from his chest and Agmundr's body collapsed to a heap on the ground. With one, swift kick, Loki sent the corpse hurtling off the edge of the platform into dead space. My limbs felt overwhelmingly weak and I gasped for air, each breath a treasure. Frightened as I may have been, I still desperately hoped the baby wouldn't suffer for it.

"Olivia," Loki dropped his weapon to the ground and crouched before me. "Are you alright?"

"Besides nearly suffocating? Yeah. Just peachy." I tried to smile but failed miserably. He reached his arms for me and I allowed myself to fall into him. I was so, very weak. "Let's not do this again."

"I agree."

"Good." My lids drooped heavily from the exhaustion. I made a note to not ever go without oxygen anymore. A vague awareness that he had wrapped my arms around his neck struck me. I felt him lift me up, my legs dangling limply in his arms.

I didn't know where we were headed, nor did I particularly care. The realization that he was going to his estranged family for help after having nearly annihilated them all seemed rather profound. How very strange it was, to think I could ever be of such great value to someone. The remaining strength I had began to fade and I quickly found myself unable to keep my eyes open, the opulence of my surroundings being shut out into blackness.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I may or may not have been watching "The Angels Take Manhattan" while I was writing this. And I may or may not have made a reference to it...**

An incredibly furious Hel was shouting at Agmundr. "HE DID WHAT?"

"Mistress, please! The reason I am with you at all is because he killed me."

"HE'S NOT INTERESTED?!" She shrieked wildly. "I HAVE ORCHESTRATED HIS VERY EXISTENCE, LIFE AS HE KNOWS IT, AND HE ISN'T INTERESTED!"

"My lady, he chose the human-"

"I knew from the moment he met that little wench that she was trouble. Rakthon was incredibly difficult to persuade to come to our side, yet we succeeded. That plan was so simple: allow Thor to discover Rakthon. Loki would betray him and I would have two powerful allies on my side. Then that insufferable girl was put into play and ruined everything. Now I find myself with no allies."

"I am still here, mistress." Agmundr muttered quietly.

"And of what use are you to me, now that you are DEAD?" She sighed wearily. "At least tell me that Odin was unable to use my ring."

Agmundr said nothing in response. In a rage, Hel stepped forward from her throne, slapping Agmundr hard across the face. "YOU FOOL!"

"How was I to know he still had feelings for the mortal?"

"Those feelings don't go away overnight, you imbecile!" Hel pursed her lips, gripping her her staff tightly. "That girl should have died when she touched that box, yet he chose to save her instead and make her his champion."

"He, who?"

Hel clicked her pointed teeth. "It is no concern now. If Loki will not join us, then it is time for me to pursue other plans. The prophecy requires a child of Laufey to slay the Aesir, since Loki has declined, I shall seek his brother."

"I do not think Thor will-"

"Not Thor, you twit! Loki's elder blood brother, the heir to the throne of Jötunheim! He shall not be as easy to control, though his hatred of his brother should be enough to sway him. I have work to do. Leave me!"

The scene faded before me, a faint buzzing filled my ears and I struggled to open my eyes. Upon opening, the world was a haze. I blinked and blinked again. As my vision cleared, I noted the high, golden ceiling above me. Light streamed through an open window to my right, sending reflections dancing around the room. The walls were solid stone and lined with tapestries. My first inclination was to think I had woken in yet another time period. Middle ages, this time. But I discerned that the buzzing was actually the sound of rushing water near the window.

I glanced down to discover that I lay in an enormous bed, covered with multiple blankets and various other coverings. A groan escaped my throat as I realized I was wearing some kind of dress. "At last." Loki muttered quietly beside me.

His eyes were bloodshot and I noticed his appearance was somewhat unkempt. It was the look of a man who had spent a great deal of time under stress. "Where am I?" I rasped, my voice akin to death warmed over.

A faint smile tugged his lips. "My old chambers, safe."

I remembered a very important detail and snapped to attention. "Is everything alright? I mean-"

"You're fine. You're both fine." He raised my hand to his lips, gently kissing my fingers. I relaxed in response, settling back onto the bed.

"Why did you let them put me in this thing?" I growled as I contorted my features in disgust at the dress I was wearing.

He let out a throaty chuckle in reply. "Because I know you're not overly fond of them."

"Yeah, god of mischief. Getting that now." I mumbled, pulling the covers over my head.

I heard him move, as if to pull them away from my head, when a faint 'clink' echoed. Curious, I pushed them off, only to notice that he was chained to the floor. "Why are you-"

"I nearly destroyed Asgard. As you can imagine, I'm not incredibly popular at the moment." There was the slightest trace of bitterness to his words.

I raised my brow in amazement. "I'm surprised you're not in a cell somewhere."

A wan smile appeared on his features. "That was Mother's doing."

"Mother? I thought you didn't have any family?"

Loki swallowed hard and looked at the floor. "Ah, yes. Well, she has always been apt to forgive, in spite of everything." A slight change in expression and he was holding my gaze again. "She knew. I do not pretend to know how, but she knew about you and convinced Odin to allow me to stay with you."

"What happens now that I'm awake?" I inquired suspiciously, my eyes closing into slits.

"Odin will pass judgment upon me for my crimes against Asgard and you will more than likely be returned to Earth." Though he tried to hide it, I could see the sadness in his eyes. The guilt. The regret.

"They're not concerned that there's going to be a half-human, half-frost giant baby running around Seattle?" I asked sarcastically, drawing a rueful grin from him.

"Not particularly, no." He averted his gaze to the wall in front of me. His mood shifted to pensive and I waited patiently for him to speak. "The mess I've made." He muttered harshly to himself.

"Loki-"

"Don't make excuses for me!" He snapped and I promptly closed my mouth. "You had given me something to live for beyond pain and revenge and I was too stupid to see it. I nearly didn't come with you to Seattle." His tone was thick with self-loathing.

"The time I have spent with you has been the best of my life. And I cast it aside for a petty, childish need to prove myself justified." My heart ached for him and I placed my hand over his. "It took no effort on her part to sway me. All she had to say was that you had never loved me. It was that simple." He spat, disgusted with himself. "You have slept for two days and in that time I have had the perfect opportunity to see myself for what I am. I wanted to prove them all wrong, that I was not a monster to be feared, but a son. A brother. An equal. Instead, I have become the very thing I sought to not be. I am a monster, Olivia. A grotesque, unloveable monster."

I moved closer to the edge of the bed, pulling his hand to my cheek. "I love you."

A tear rolled down his cheek. "I do not know how."

"Isn't that the point? None of us deserve love or earn it. It's a choice that's made. And despite whatever truly boneheaded decisions you make," I extended my index finger forward to poke his forehead. "I have chosen to always love you. And if you're going to spend the rest of eternity in a cell, I will too."

"You cannot mean that."

"Oh, but I do. But I'm going to make sure I at least have a pair of pants, first. Because there is no way that I'm wearing this thing for the rest of forever."

I waited for a smile, a laugh, anything to lighten the mood but it never came. "Olivia, you are mortal. You shall age and eventually die. I cannot ask you to spend what small amount of life you have in such a place. Or with me."

The idea of it seemed so ridiculous to me now. It had been over a year since I had been fully human. A laugh escaped my throat and I threw back my head in amusement. "Why are you laughing?" He inquired bewilderedly.

"Because I'm not mortal anymore. I'll never age a day past twenty-four." Concern filled his features and I continued on. "When I touched the Saeculum, I didn't just stop Rakthon. Time itself flooded into me. I was so scared of what was happening to me, that I never told you. In the past year, I've found myself in different periods of history, randomly. Hel knew what I had become and had asked me to remove myself from your timeline under the guise of granting you a relationship with your family again. That was the farthest thing from what she wanted. We needed the ring and I was unwilling to forfeit you to her, so I lied and said I didn't care."

"But how-"

"I don't know. I really don't. Technically speaking, I never should have survived that fire as a baby. Hel had been escorting the dead for millennia and had looked away once. It was all it took. It just so happened that her mistake resulted in my father being called to the scene instead of the officer who should have gone. Thus, my entire life was altered. Enter twenty-four years later and I'm a psychologist with a focus on criminology and micro-expressions. And wouldn't you know it that I met the person she had been grooming as the perfect pawn in her ploy for power. You and I were never supposed to meet. But we did and she realized if her scheme were to still work, she would need to fix her mistake."

We sat in silence for a moment before I decided to continue. "I can't die, either. My cells are made of time energy. They regenerate incredibly fast. Agmundr couldn't have killed me if he wanted to. It wasn't me I was worried about..."

"The baby's fine, Olivia." He whispered, stroking my fingers. "It's a pity that I'll never have the opportunity to meet it."

"I told you that I'm going to stay with you."

"No, you're not. I deserve to be punished for my mistakes but you are innocent. I cannot allow you to follow me." The door swung open then to reveal a rather steely Thor.

"Father will see you now." He stated coldly, glaring at his brother. Two guards swept into the room to unchain Loki from the floor. They began to lead his still manacled form from the room as I rose from the bed.

"I'm coming too." I stated forcefully, my limbs quaking from the effort to stand.

"No, absolutely not." I didn't care what Loki's opinion was. I saw him look to his brother for help, finding none.

"Shut up, stupidface. We go together or not at all." I rested my hands upon the furniture for balance and support, slowly walking to where they had stopped. Whatever his feelings for his brother, Thor seemed to have compassion on me, offering me his arm to lean into. I gratefully accepted as I felt my knees quake with every step. One thing was for certain, no matter the outcome, I was never going to be separated from Loki again; even if it was the last thing I did.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: One more chapter. If you're still interested in my story (which is amazing, by the way!), keep a look out for part three. I appreciate all of you so much! Thank you for taking the time to read my work! Anyway, here you are: chapter seventeen. A twofer. Just because you're all so wonderful :-)**

Upon the restoration of Asgard, the halls had returned to their former glory, leaving me awestruck. I found it difficult to not gape at the beauty of it all. All too soon, however, we arrived a set of double, golden doors. I felt my heart drop into my stomach as they opened to reveal an incredibly stern looking man that could only be Odin.

My odd sense of humor likened him to ancient, white Nick Fury, though several times more terrifying. He even had the eyepatch. He looked at me curiously as I entered and I made my face as blank as possible. I never wanted to give anyone much of a read on me.

"Father, Olivia demanded to accompany us." Thor stated matter-of-factly. I couldn't help but scowl as he threw me under the bus.

"Perhaps it is best she is here." He directed his gaze to Loki, a mixture of great anger and sadness in his eyes. "Loki, son of Laufey, you are guilty of crimes against Asgard including: murder, treachery, and the slaughter of fifty innocent Asgardians." None of it sounded promising and I felt a steady fear rise to my chest.

Loki said nothing in response, his jaw twitching at each charge. "For these, the worthy punishment is death." It took everything within me to not contest. I knew the verdict was more than fair. I glanced over to Loki, watching him hang his head in reluctant acknowledgment. "As it is, the queen has informed me of a rather unfortunate situation."

I felt my muscles tense at the words. "The queen has stated that the human female carries your child. Is this true?" Odin looked to me in expectation. I swallowed hard, feeling the dryness of my mouth.

"Yes." I cracked. A sudden fear that they would seek to remove my child from me descended. Never. I would slaughter entire civilizations if they dare threatened him or her, without the slightest trace of remorse.

Odin's eye twitched slightly and I saw him begin to formulate thoughts. "Despite seeking to annihilate this realm and its inhabitants, love for this woman brought you to plead for her safeguard until such a time that she would wake. She has now awoken and the queen's assumptions have been proven true."

His blue eye examined me carefully and I stood a little taller. "It was my mercy that prevented your execution upon the last of your offenses. It is because of this innocent child that I stay my hand now. Therefore," Loki slowly raised his head to look Odin in the eye. "You are hereby banished from these realms for all eternity. Your name shall be stricken from the House of Odin and your power taken from you."

In an instant, Loki changed before my eyes. At first glance, an instinctive gasp tumbled from my lips. I stood looking at an unfamiliar face: deep blue in skin with blood red eyes. Spikes protruded from his cheeks and the realization that this was his true form struck me. "Now you see me as I am." Loki stated harshly.

I watched a tear roll down his cheek and I trepidatiously approached him. It was still him, the same person I had come to love, even if he were more beastly looking. I wrapped my hand around his arm, slowly lowering my head to his shoulder.

"Father," Thor began respectfully. "Am I permitted to make a suggestion?" Odin turned his attention to his son, nodding slightly. "The humans are not accustomed to frost giants. His punishment is more than gracious. Yet, if it is his safety for the sake of the child you seek, I would think it wise to at least allow him a different appearance."

"Let it be as you say, my son." At once, Loki had returned to his normal appearance. "From this day, to the rest of eternity, you shall live upon Earth with the woman you have chosen. Should I, or any other, see your face in this realm again, you shall be struck down, your life taken from you. Is this understood?"

"Perfectly."

Thor released Loki from his chains then. Loki turned to face me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "By my power, I hereby banish you from this realm, never to return!" Odin shouted. Instantly, I felt the familiar sensation of being pulled upward and outward. The universe flew past at a sickening rate before we finally landed in an unknown evergreen forest.

Upon looking up at him, I noticed a great loss descend upon him. "It is as if I never even existed." He stated quietly.

"I-I'm truly sorry. I know life here isn't-"

"At least he was gracious enough to allow me you." I encircled my arms around him, resting my head on his chest.

"And I you." I pecked him on the cheek. "We'll make it work. Somehow."

"I suppose it would be wise if we discover our whereabouts." He stated finally, flashing a brief, tight smile. Taking my hand in his, we began to meander. We passed soaring pines, following the distant sound of traffic to the roadway.

Upon the discovery of the road, I groaned. We were at least fifty miles from home. "He couldn't just put us in the backyard, could he? I mean, that would be too easy." I complained.

On we walked until we encountered one of the endangered public telephones. Fortunately, I had discovered two quarters on the road along the way. I pushed the coins into the slot and punched the buttons to my office. Upon answering, I entered Avery's extension.

"Grant Group, Avery Watson speaking."

"Avery, it's Olivia."

"Olivia!" She nearly shrieked. I had to extend the phone from my ear for a moment as her volume increased. "Where have you been? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's just lovely. Listen, we're stranded about sixty miles from the office on highway two. Any chance you come get us?"

"We? Does this mean I actually get to meet You-Know-Who?"

It was too tempting to resist. "Actually, I'm fairly certain Harry did away with Lord Voldemort. Though, if I come across him, I'll be sure to tell you."

Avery snickered appreciatively from the other end of the line. "Oh, ha ha. I'll be there in about an hour."

I returned the phone to its receiver with a click. "Are we saved?"

"She should be here in about an hour. In the meantime, we get to stand here in the middle of nowhere and get drizzled on." Indeed, the rain had begun to fall in a mist. As if anything else could be expected.

"There are worse places to be." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder to kiss the top of my head.

"That might be true, but the weather is pretty miserable. It's November in Washington state: cold and rainy. And I'm wearing this stupid thing, thanks to you."

I noticed the amused smirk on his lips. "You've been through worse."

"Right. Like nearly freezing to death on some weird moon. Thanks for reminding me."

We stood in silence for several moments, huddled together on the side of the highway. "Just promise me something?" I finally began.

"That would depend on the promise."

I made a snarky face, to which he laughed. "Promise me that no matter what gender this kid is, they won't have some terrible, strange name."

"Such as?"

"Füffenhefr or something like that."

"Füffenhefr?" His brow raised at the name.

"Yeah, Füffenhefr. You all have strange names."

"Did you ever think, that perhaps, you have the strange name?"

"Pfft! No. My name doesn't mean 'spring onions' in Latvian."

"What does that even mean?"

"That's what 'Loki' means in Latvian. Also, I'm pretty sure it means seagull in some other language. So, now who has the strange name?"

"And what, pray tell, does Olivia mean?"

I rolled my shoulders back and craned my neck upward. "Olive tree."

"How is that better?" He asked with confusion.

"It's the symbolism. Olive trees are indicative of wisdom, peace, hope, light, health, and fertility."

"Clearly, the fertile meaning is correct." He replied dryly.

I responded by punching his shoulder. "Ha ha." Once again, we faded to silence, the steady drizzle falling on us. As we waited, I began to puzzle together how to tell him of my vision. Whatever Hel was planning with his brother, he had a right to know. Especially, since I was convinced she wasn't through with him entirely. It would have to wait, however, because Avery thankfully arrived at that moment.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Without further ado, here's the last chapter. Thank you for joining me :-)**

I had never been particularly open about my personal life, neither in high school nor college. It was a habit that had carried through my professional career as well. To me, it was no one's business but my own. Therefore, when Avery arrived to find me standing by Loki, well...she was more than a little floored. From the expression on her face, I could see she was nervous, afraid even.

It was then that I approached the car, allowing her to roll down the passenger's side window. "Tell me that isn't who I think it is?" She croaked.

"Okay. It's not who you think it is."

"Olivia, this is serious! He-he's the one you've been in a relationship with this whole time?"

"Well, yes."

Her mouth dropped open in surprise before she righted it again. "He's like, fifty times worse than Voldemort!" She hissed.

"Really, Avery. There's nothing to be concerned about."

"Do you not remember two years ago? Because I do. He killed eighty people over the course of two days! That doesn't even include everything he did in New York!"

Her attitude annoyed me. "Really? I was completely unaware. Thanks, for catching me up to speed." I replied dryly.

"And why are you wearing that?" Her face scrunched into disapproval at my dress.

"We decided to go to a renaissance fair."

"In the middle of nowhere? Where's your car?"

I sighed with exasperation. "Look, it's a long story, okay? Can we get in or not?"

She chewed her lip apprehensively. I watched her cast a suspicious glance in Loki's direction. "Avery, it's fine. Trust me. He's..." I couldn't exactly say different. He had just killed fifty people a few days ago. Still, he seemed to be committed to changing. "Making an effort."

Her brows furrowed together in anxiety. "Alright. I just don't want him to do anything to you."

"He won't."

She unlocked the doors and I waved him over. I noticed the amused expression on his face. Clearly, he was aware that my poor assistant was terrified of him. I should smack him for being so pleased with himself. As he drew close, I watched Avery sink lower into her seat, avoiding eye contact.

"Avery, Loki. Loki, Avery." I introduced shortly as we climbed into the car.

He was far, far too pleased with himself. "Hello, Avery." He stated, the entire purpose to make her squirm.

A sound akin to a whimper was her only reply as she slammed the car into drive. He chuckled darkly at her reaction. "Avery, would you slow down?" We were flying down the highway at breakneck speed.

She didn't seem to hear me though and we managed to make the hour drive in thirty minutes. Upon arrival at our house, she slammed the car into stop, quickly unlocking the doors. "Thank you." I muttered upon exiting. It took half a second for her to speed out of the wooded drive. As soon as she was out of sight, I smacked Loki round the back of the head. "Was that really necessary?"

He rubbed the spot where I had hit him, an elated smirk on his face. "As if you wouldn't do the same?"

I sniffed in response, too unwilling to admit he had me there. It would have been far too tempting to resist. I enjoyed making people as uncomfortable as he did. Which was why, of course, I had chosen criminal psychology over counseling. I wasn't exactly therapist material.

"Come on. I want to get out of this thing." I said in disgust as I began to walk the front steps.

"By all means." He replied, an edge of lust to his voice.

After I had showered and changed, I entered our living room. The rain fell in heavy sheets, fogging the glass of our floor to ceiling windows. From the first moment I had seen the house, I had fallen in love. It was about ten miles outside of the city, positioned down a quiet road. The contemporary design appealed to me, as did the lakefront view. Even then, I still marveled at the view from the windows.

Loki was lounging on the sofa, his nose in a book. "Um, I need to talk to you about something." He glanced up at me, his fingers closing the book firmly. I sat next to him, curling my feet under me. "I don't-"How was I to explain what I had seen? I chewed my lip in thought, my brows furrowing together. There was no other way besides directly. "You said I slept for two days?"

"Yes." I could sense his puzzlement.

"It's just that I'm not entirely sure I was." He waited expectantly for me to finish. "I saw...something. I don't even know what to call it. But," I paused, sighing in irritation. It wasn't that difficult to formulate a thought. Spit it out, already. "I saw Hel."

His body went rigid at the mention of her name. "You what?"

"I saw Hel. She was talking to Agmundr. Well, shouting."

"Did she see you?" Loki's tone was thick with anxiety.

"No. She was angry at you. And at me. She said I should have died when I touched the Saeculum, but that instead 'he' had chosen me for his champion?"

"He, who?"

"I don't know. And she said something else. That she had been responsible for your every moment, your very existence, and that you had no right to deviate from her plan." His nostrils flared, his jaw tense. "But she said that since you were adamant, another must be readied. That the prophecy required a son of Laufey to slay the Aesir?"

"A son of Laufey?"

"She said she would pursue your older brother, the heir to the throne."

He said nothing for a moment, his breathing tense. "My brother? I was not aware Laufey had another son."

"She said he would be more difficult to control." His features expressed pure, unadulterated hatred. "But that his hatred for you would be more than enough to persuade him."

"I see. And did she say anything else?" I told him of her overarching reach. That she had even orchestrated Rakthon. That it would have been easy for her to have two powerful allies, as he would betray Thor.

His eye twitched when I finished. "So, Hel has been manipulating me from the beginning."

"I'm assuming so, since she said your existence had been her idea."

A loud silence echoed around us. I had an idea of what he was thinking as I watched his facial expressions, minute as they were. At long last, he exhaled slowly, eyeing me intensely. "I suppose, none of it matters now."

"Maybe." I replied quietly.

The same intensity burned in his eyes and I looked away. "Olivia," Reluctantly, I met his gaze. "Distract me." It was a command, not a request, the power of which surprised me.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said," He began forcefully, gently pushing me back against the seat cushions. I was forced to look up at him, his face directly over mine. "Distract. Me." I said nothing in response, his hands sliding down my hips to grasp my knees.

"H-here?" I whispered, my voice cracking as he kissed my throat.

"Why not?" He whispered in my ear. Technically, this was it going to solve anything. The feelings he felt, both towards himself and Hel, could not be resolved this way. Still, perhaps he had a point. In light of all I had discovered, a distraction would be rather welcome. Hel and her plans could wait for another day, or two, or three. I had no idea of knowing exactly how long I was going to have before I was too large for comfort. Yes, distractions were good. Very, very good.


End file.
